Inferno
by EmeraldDragon1
Summary: A strangely dressed boy and a Gardevoir are on the run, but from what exactly?
1. Chapter 1

**Inferno, Chapter 1**

**Okay, guys, this is my first adopted story. It was originally written by rennan, but since he or she (don't know which; sorry!) isn't interested in it anymore, I've decided to take it over. For the moment, I might accept OCs, but it kind of depends on who they are. If you want to send one in, just PM me (we should all know how to do that by now, newbies exempted) with their name, looks, personality, and background story. The order you do it in is up to you, and if I find interest in your OC, I will PM back and possibly ask for more information. In the meantime, enjoy this first chapter!**

A Surprise Around The Corner

"Blastoise use hydro pump!" yelled a man wearing a black uniform with a big red R on the front. A boy on the ground, drenched to the bone and exhausted, was trying to stand up. But the giant water type hit him again, hard, and knocked him back to the ground.

The kid wore red pants with a yellow flame pattern from the shins. His vest was a dirty white and covered his red and yellow shirt, while his long, white hair reached down to his back. Two long, skinny red horns stuck out of his forehead in the shape of a V. He had on a pair of clawed gloves that looked like birds feet and reached a few inches from his elbow.

The boy grunted as he stood up from the drenched grass. His deep blue eyes scanned the field; not a tree in sight, though it was hard to tell because it was near midnight. He spotted what he was looking for, a Gardevoir lying face down in the cool grass. She was battered and beaten, but he could still see her breathing.

"_That's good"_ thought the strangely dressed boy. He pulled out a strange necklace from under his shirt. It was a purple crystal embroidered with ancient runes. Hanging on to it was a metal dragon claw dangling from a string. He only had one shot at this.

"Blastoise use stomp!" The behemoth raised its foot for a finishing blow but the boy had one more trick up his sleeve. Mustering all the strength he had left, he dashed towards the Gardevoir, narrowly dodging the giant turtles' attack.

He snatched up the unconscious pokemon; the necklace gave off a flash of light, and then nothing was there. The boy and pokemon had somehow teleported away.

"_Great,"_ thought the uniformed man, _"the boss will have my head for this."_

_**Elsewhere…**_

The crystal was drained of power. It could either let you teleport several times for short distances, or one long jump before it had to be recharged by a psychic. This didn't concern the boy; right now he needed to find help fast.

He swiveled his head around to see where he was since all he told the crystal to do was get them as far away from there as possible. It just transported them to some random area. He felt so stupid, why not transport to a pokemon center? He took in the scenery as best he could.

They were near a forest standing in a field; he looked the other way and spotted something glowing in the distance. He quickly realized it was a house. With no other help in sight he began a very painful walk to the abode.

When he finally reached the house he was extremely exhausted. He banged on the door with his remaining strength. He heard some muffled voices, and then a shuffle. The knob turned and the door opened to reveal a woman in her late thirties who looked shocked at what she was seeing. The boy could only mutter two words before falling unconscious;

"Please… help..." The baffled woman, still trying to figure out who they were, had to catch the boy who was still clinging onto the Gardevoir. Unable to figure out what was going on, she dragged them inside and shut the door. They were soaking wet but there wasn't a storm tonight.

"_What was with his clothes? More importantly how did they get so beat up?"_ the woman questioned silently.

"June, get the first aid kit and come down here." the woman called out. A young girl, around 13, ran down the stairs carrying a box with a red cross on it. As she rounded the corner she gasped; she was speechless. A kid dressed like a Blaziken was unconscious and clutching on to a wounded Gardevoir.

June's mother dragged them over to the couch and lied them down. She did her best to pry the boy's arms off the pokemon. After what felt like an eternity, she gently picked the Gardevoir up from the boy's grasp and set her down on the love seat; June, the smart one, was already tending to the boy's wounds, drying him off with a towel.

She was worried about the boy; he was banged up badly and had bruises and cuts everywhere. Whatever did this was probably trying to kill him, but why? She popped open the first aid and got out some medicine and bandages and started to work.

When they were finished the two looked more like mummies than patients. They tried to remove some of the accessories off the boy, but it was like they were glued to him. June's mother, Marie, placed her hand onto his forehead; he was burning up.

"June, hand me the thermometer." June dug through the box for a second before pulling out a thermometer and handing it to her mother. Marie stuck it in the boy's mouth. The numbers started rising; 96,100,107,115,130,140,150,155, until it finally stopped on 160. Her eyes were wide; he was almost twice the temperature he should be.

"June, go get an ice pack quickly." Her daughter nodded before rushing to the kitchen before coming back with a blue freezer pack, handing it to her mother. She watched as she placed it on his head only to have it quickly melt.

"This isn't good; I should call the pokemon center" she mumbled, but before she could walk to the phone they heard a groan. Their heads snapped to the sound; the Gardevoir was awake and staring at them. Then it did something neither of them expected it spoke to them

"_Where am I? Who are you?"_ They were speechless; the pokemon waited for an answer. A minute passed before June spoke up.

"Did you ... just talk?" The Gardevoir cocked its head sideways before answering.

"_Well ...yes… and no. I'm communicating telepathically, but don't worry. I won't read your thoughts."_ The two residents just stared, trying to make sense of all this. Gardevoir being able to sense emotions could feel the confusion around them, sighing.

"_My name is Lora; who are you?" _

"I'm Marie, and this is my daughter June." Then she begged the question

"What happened to you?" Lora put her hand to her chin and began to think. After what felt like forever, though it was really only two minutes, she spoke up.

"_Well, all I can remember is that I was walking along with Blaze through the field when a guy dressed in black with a big red R on his shirt attacked me and Blaze with a Blastoise. I was blasted with a Hydro Pump and passed out; then I woke up here."_ Then it dawned on her.

"_WHERES BLAZE?!" _ She was panicking now. She turned left and right before turning around to see the boy with an unusual style of clothing passed out on the couch. A sigh of relief escaped her lips before she calmly walked over to him and placed a hand on his head. After a few moments she took her hand off his head and turned around with a cheerful look on her face.

"_His temperature is normal; that's good."_ This baffled the two girls.

"But how? A few minutes ago it was 160 and rising!" the younger of the two exclaimed. She was wearing loose polka-dot pajamas and her hair was a deep blue color. Lora nodded and said

"_That seems about right, give or take a few degrees."_

"That can't be right; a normal humans' temperature is around 98 degrees" said the older woman. She was wearing thick red robe and had black hair.

"_Well, let's just say Blaze isn't a 'normal' human and leave it at that"_ the Gardevoir told her. Marie appeared flustered, then calmed herself and said

"This is all very confusing and it's late; we should probably get some sleep. There's a guest room upstairs; if you want, you're welcome to sleep there."

"_Thank you very much; I appreciate that." _

"June show our guest to the room; then head for bed." The girl simply nodded before motioning for Lora to follow her. Lora observed that the room was pretty nice. There was a bed in the back right hand corner and a desk on the opposite wall. The bed was queen size with a thin but heavy darkish red blanket and two big soft pillows.

The desk was a simple wooden one with two upside down T shaped legs. It had two drawers, and upon further inspection she found one held a big stack of paper; the other held some coloring pencils along with a few mechanical pencils. The desk itself had a strange lamp that was screwed onto the desk itself. Curious, she looked under the desk to find some metal bars and gears.

A few minutes later and she found the purpose of the contraption; the desktop was able to tilt at an angle and the bars held it in place. She reset it and headed to the bed. As she lay there, she wondered why the man attacked them, how they wound up here, and what happened after she passed out. After a few minutes she fell into a deep sleep.

'='='='='='='='='='='='='='='='='='='='='='='='='='='='='='='='='

Blaze awoke to the smell of something pleasant cooking. He opened his eyes and slowly realized he wasn't in his bed. First off, his bed was bigger; second it wasn't as soft as this one was. He looked around, confused.

"_Where am I?"_ thought Blaze, and as if to answer, all the memories of the previous day rushed back to him. He quickly sat up only to be painfully reminded about his injuries and literally roll out of bed, or in this case a couch.

He caught himself just in time to prevent a painful meeting of the floor and his face. Slowly, he lifted himself off the ground. He found that he was bandaged pretty much everywhere except his face. He heard something in another room, the same room the smell was coming from.

He limped into a doorway to find a kitchen and the source of the smell. There were three eggs sizzling in a pan on a stove. Only then did he realize how hungry he was. He looked around; no one here. He must have just missed whoever made these eggs. Licking his lips, he started reaching for an egg but noticed something; they weren't done yet. If he were making them, they would be done by now.

Confused, he picked the pan up to reveal a red hot eye. He lazily put his hand on it, but instead of yelping in pain he just stood there letting the eye burn his hand.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" This of course scared the crap out of Blaze, causing him to spin around still holding the pan and his hand still on the eye. He saw a young girl about his age with dark blue hair and polka-dot pajamas on, looking panicked. Blaze took his hand off the hot eye and placed it on his chest to steady his heart. He glared at her and told her

"You almost gave me a heart attack!" She replied in a half panicked, half angry tone

"You?! What about me?! I come in here to finish my eggs to find you trying to cook your hand!"

Blaze looked confused and took his hand off his chest to look at it then showed it to the girl. Amazingly, there was no burnt flesh, not even a single mark. Baffled, the girl walked up to him to examine his hand. The strange glove looked like a bird's foot but had no burn marks. Then she noticed something strange; the glove didn't have any seams. In fact, it didn't look like there was any cloth at all; but before she could ask about it, Lora entered the kitchen rubbing her eyes. She looked mad; they probably woke her up with all the shouting, but as soon as she saw Blaze that frown turned upside down. She rushed at him and tackled him to the ground, embracing him; the eggs wound up on the floor. Blaze would have returned the hug if he wasn't in so much pain. June had to choke down a laugh from seeing Blaze twitch in pain. Lora suddenly jumped off of him and hurriedly said

"_I'm so sorry Blaze! Tell me, what hurts?" _ Blaze finally choked out one word;

"E-everyth-thing." Lora attempted to help him up by grabbing his hand only to jerk back in pain, waving her hand around as if burned. She glared at him, then her attention was caught by the red hot eye; she looked back at him and asked

"_You touched the eye didn't you?"_ He simply nodded.

"_Why?"_

"Well, the eggs weren't done, so I felt the temperature of the stove. But as I was judging it, she came in here and scared me" replied Blaze as he pointed to June. Said culprit had had enough.

"Everybody stop!" The two broke from their conversation to stare at the girl, then she continued

"I want some answers n-" but she was cut short by a crash and glass shattering behind her. A giant robotic hand imprinted with a large red R stretched and snatched up Lora before dragging her outside screaming.

**Okay, and here is where I end the first chapter to this officially adopted story. I must say, it took a lot of effort on my part, so I hope you found it enjoyable. Please review soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Inferno, Chapter 2**

**Okay, so I've got a few ideas I'm going to work with here. Also, the OC gate is closed until further notice. I've even taken it off the summary so there's no confusion. For those of you who have already submitted, thank you for your time. I will get them into the course of the story, but I can't perfectly predict when. Rest assured, it will happen. So, let's move on with the story.**

A Tall Tale

Blaze cursed as he scrambled up from the floor of the kitchen and June screamed. Marie burst in a second later, shouting

"What the hell is going on?!"

Her attention was immediately caught by the gaping hole in her house, and through it she could see that Lora had been encased in a giant hand of metal that was connected to a very large robot. She didn't start screaming like her daughter; she would have, but her voice was caught in her throat.

Before either of the women could stop him, Blaze jumped through the hole in the home and raced out toward the robot. Lora, seeing this, shouted

"No, get away from here, Blaze! It's too dangerous, just leave me!"

"Like hell I'll ever do that!" he replied, forming a ball of fire in his hand. He launched it at the robot, where it struck it without causing any sort of damage.

"What?!" Blaze shouted incredulously. Then a peal of wicked laughter rang out as if it was being broadcasted on loudspeakers. When the laughing stopped, a mocking voice said

"Forget, kid! We know all about your firepower, no matter how long it's been! And we set up our capturing devices accordingly. You can fire all the flames you want, but it won't do a damn thing to me!"

Then the second hand reached out and tried to grab him, but he coiled his legs and jumped as high as he could to avoid it. He felt the pain from his injuries, and were the circumstances different he would have collapsed in agony. But Lora was in trouble right now, so he ignored the pain as best he could for the moment.

When he landed, the hand tried to grab him again and the voice said

"Hold still, you brat!"

Blaze didn't follow the order however, as he jumped to his right and rolled. He sprang back up and started running for Lora. He had to get her out of the robot's clutches before he tried unleashing hell on it. But the man, for the voice was undoubtedly male, controlling the robot was clever, and he lifted the arm out of even Blaze's reach. Blaze growled in frustration as he dodged another downward strike intended to capture him.

Fortunately, although the robot was tough, it didn't seem to have any extra weapons of any kind, or they would have been already used. Emboldened by this, Blaze continued jumping around avoiding being caught while his mind was wracked for a good strategy, or at least a strategy.

But ten minutes later, Blaze knew he was in trouble. The robot, which wouldn't tire, was as strong as ever, while he was already injured and tiring quickly. Worse still, he hadn't come up with a viable plan. He reviewed what he could do over in his mind, and after he finished dodging left after feinting right, he sighed heavily. He had a plan; it wasn't the best, but it was the only option he had left besides leaving Lora, which he wouldn't do in a million years.

"Lora!" Blaze shouted up to her. She craned her neck to view him as best as possible, and he continued.

"I'm going to take this thing down, so you'll need to brace yourself!"

She frowned and asked

"_How?"_

Blaze winced, then told her

"Well, I can't bring it down with grace, so I'm gonna have to do it with force."

Getting the idea, Lora shouted

"_No, you haven't perfected that technique yet, and it hurts you back! Just leave me, I'll be fine!"_

She could see Blaze's eyes burn with anger, and he replied

"Don't give me that crap! I'm not a child anymore, Lora. You know as well as I do that neither of us would be fine on our own, and that's why we stick together, no matter what!"

The man controlling the robot lost his patience and said

"If you two are quite finished, it's time we ended this!"

"Yeah, it is" Blaze said, beginning to cover himself with fire. The man laughed and said

"I already told ya, your precious fire won't work on me!"

Blaze, however, ignored him as he rushed forward. And as he did, the fire surrounding him swelled until it burst into a light blue energy that surrounded his body. His speed picked up as he neared the robot, and the man could be heard saying

"What the-?!"

Blaze jumped and crashed head-long into the giant mecha-suit, causing it to lose balance. The arms flailed around, trying to regain it. Fortunately, Lora had the foresight to use her psychic powers to keep herself ramrod straight so her spine or neck couldn't be snapped. Blaze ran back the robot but didn't repeat the move. Instead, he jumped high and kicked the robot in the chest, sending its balance out the window and making it fall back. It crashed with a loud noise, and Blaze immediately jumped onto it and ran to where the chest was, or where it would be comparable to a human. Blaze raised his right fist which began to glow, and brought it abruptly down, denting the metal, but not penetrating.

Blaze winced in pain but raised his fist and repeated the move. After three hits, the metal gave way, revealing a mess of wires and lights. Blaze looked over them for a second, looking for a specific one, then shrugged his shoulders, reached a clawed hand in, and ripped a handful of them out, causing the robot to beep loudly. For good measure, Blaze sent a burst of fire into the weak point, then rose and ran down the left arm that was holding Lora.

He soon reached the hand as the robot gave off warning sirens for its imminent destruction. Blaze, with Lora's help, pried the large fingers off of her, freeing her. He picked her up and jumped down, making the landing as light as possible since he couldn't opt for comfort. He ran from the robot as the beeping picked up in intensity and volume, until it suddenly stopped before it exploded, sending the controller flying into the sky, and hopefully landing very far away. Blaze gave a sigh of relief as he fell over to his back, giving voice to his pain which he acknowledged again.

Lora helped him up after letting him rest for five minutes, then began scolding him.

"_That was incredibly stupid!" _she started. He grinned back and said

"It worked, didn't it?"

"_That's not the point! You shouldn't risk your life just to save me; I'm not worth that!"_

Blaze's grin became a scowl as he retorted

"Oh yeah? Then how was it that you took that Blastoise's attacks for me? Am I worth more to you than your own life? Because if that's the case, then you're worth more to me than _my _own life."

Lora sighed in frustration, and she wanted to beat some sense into his thick head. Since he was already injured, though, that was out of the question. Once he had healed, then the beating would begin.

They returned to the house, where June was wide-eyed and Marie threw herself in front of her daughter and her arms wide, as if this would protect her should they become hostile.

"Just what are you?" she hissed. Blaze sighed heavily and replied

"A bad experiment gone right."

Marie regarded him with confusion, and Lora said

"_We mean you no harm. We simply wish to escape Team Rocket."_

"Team Rocket? That's who that was?" June asked over her mother's shoulder. Blaze nodded and said

"Yeah, and they've been after me ever since I fled."

Marie frowned and lowered her arms but not her guard.

"Fled from what, exactly?"

Blaze sighed again and told her

"It's a long story…"

**Flashback, fifteen years ago…**

Team Rocket scientist Ned walked down the hall of the base in triumph. He entered one of many doors that lined the hall, meeting up with his associate. He carried a vial of vital importance to the next stage of their grand plan, and like all the other scientists here he wore a long, white lab coat. When he entered the room, his associate, Jenkins, looked up from his work and said

"Ah, you have it?"

Ned nodded and surrendered the vial, making sure not to drop it. If he lost that, he would undoubtedly lose his life; the boss did not handle losing progress very well.

Jenkins carefully took the vial and carried it over to a table, where he took a sample and inserted it under a scanning device. It made the preliminary scans, beeps and bops before a sheet of paper began to print out of the end of the machine. Jenkins grabbed it and greedily read over the information contained in the numbers. As he read, though, his greedy smirk became an expression of confusion, and he looked up at Ned and asked

"Are you sure this is correct? The scans say this is Blaziken DNA." Ned nodded and responded

"The boss wants to try something new for a change."

Jenkins nodded once, then tore the paper from the printer. He carefully added his notes to it, then stuffed it all into a large envelope. He grabbed a cylindrical container and put the envelope inside, followed by the vial. Then he stuck the container into a pipe that led through the roof, closed a transparent door, and pushed a button. With the customary rush of air, the container shot through its personal tunnel, reaching its destination in about ten seconds.

The receiving end of the container eagerly took it out and opened the envelope after making sure the vial was secure. The lead scientist of this group, a man by the name of Wesley, read over the basics of the notes, then looked over the scans. Once he was finished, he grinned evilly at his cohorts and said

"Looks like we got a new experiment, boys."

The gathered scientists in the room began to murmur, but a glare from Wesley put a stop to that. He grabbed the vial and opened the cap with precision grace. He poured the contents into a specialized funnel which led to a series of tubes and beakers that were all connected in one way or another. He watched the sample go through the process of mixing with the other sample that had been acquired. Once it was all finished, after about an hour, he took the end result, about half a beaker full of it, and carried it carefully over to a container large enough to carry a human filled with a strange orange liquid.

He turned his head over his shoulder and asked

"Is the egg in place?"

"Affirmative."

Wesley nodded once and took a rubber stopper out of his coat pocket, stuck it into the mixture and withdrew a small amount. He carefully put the tip of the stopper into a small opening and squeezed the mixture into it. He threw the stopper into the hazardous waste basket, placed a rubber cork into the opening of the beaker, then turned to his fellows and addressed them.

"Gentlemen, today we make history. We shall give rise to the new world order under our glorious leader, and he will recognize and praise our achievement for many years to come. Johnson, has the agent fused with the egg yet?"

Everybody turned their attention to a man on a computer, who was staring intently at it. He held up a finger, as if to command silence. Normally Wesley would have torn apart anybody who told him what to do, with the exception of his boss, but he was willing to wait for the results. After a painful minute, Johnson jumped out of his chair and shouted

"The egg has accepted the agent!"

The scientists in the room began to cheer. All except Wesley. He simply grinned and walked back toward the overlarge container, staring intently into it. He couldn't see anything now, but within a few months, as long as nothing happened, the fruits of their labors would be revealed.

**Five months later…**

A Gardevoir with a collar was forced into the room filled with scientists. They all leered at her, and she felt self-conscious. She tried ignoring their leers and her situation altogether. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be given that opportunity. A middle-sized, middle-aged man approached her and said

"You are the new mothering unit?"

The Gardevoir refused to answer with words, so she simply nodded her head. The man didn't care, though; he simply grinned evilly and said

"Good. Follow me."

He turned and began walking through the mess of table and computers, and his associates seemed cowed by his presence alone. Whereas when she walked through, they all watched her with evil behind those grins. She shuddered multiple times, wishing she could attack them all and kill them, but the collar prevented her from using her power without permission. Damn those hunters.

The scientist she had been following stopped in front of a large container she could have fit in with room to spare. If there was something in there, he was hiding it from her view. He looked over his shoulder and motioned her forward, which she did reluctantly. He moved aside, allowing her to peer inside the container, and what she saw both made her curious and repulsed.

It appeared to be a developing fetus of some kind. That was unnatural to the Gardevoir, who believed that children should all be born naturally, not like this. She placed a three-fingered green hand against the cool glass and timidly asked the scientist

"_W-what is it?"_

He grinned again and told her

"This is experiment 97840-1A. He is the first of his kind, and you get the honor of mothering him once he's ready."

"_There's no honor in this whatsoever" _the Gardevoir thought to herself. She tried to divine what the developing child would be, but it was still a bit too early to figure out; the finite features had not yet developed, but the fur was obvious enough. However, it appeared humane, which made the Gardevoir wonder

"_What are his origins?"_

The scientist chuckled evilly and replied

"Half human, half Blaziken. Like I said, he's the first of his kind, not least because he was our first of few successes. He will be the glorious leader of the strongest part of our force, and he will serve us for many years to come."

The Gardevoir's heart broke at his words, and she looked upon the developing child again.

"_Poor thing… not even half a year into development, and his fate has already been decided for him. If nothing else, I need to do what I can for him once he is placed under my care."_

The scientist was watching her intently, and he broke the silence between them.

"So, what is your answer?"

After taking one more glance at the child to resolve herself, the Gardevoir faced him and said

"_I accept."_

**Present…**

Lora was shedding silent tears as she remembered that horrible day, believing that Blaze would never know the meaning of happiness, of kindness, or love.

Blaze let out a shaky breath, and he looked over to their hosts, both of whom looked horrified yet fascinated.

"I was created by Team Rocket as part of Project Hybrid to destroy cities and villages, to recruit members, and to be an unstoppable force. Once I started getting the hang of my powers, hoiwever, I decided to make a break for it. I brought Lora along so they wouldn't hurt her, the only one who never hurt me. We've been on the run for almost a year now, but they keep finding us wherever we go."

Marie worked to unstick her throat for a few moments, then asked

"So how did you wind up on our doorstep, battered and sopping wet, when you were being pursued by Team Rocket? And why was Lora unconscious?"

Lora shuddered and Blaze replied

"Yesterday we were found by a Rocket grunt. He knew us from the Rocket Wanted list, so he immediately brought out a Blastoise and had it attack me. Lora jumped in front of me and took the blast, and she was thrown against the ground and knocked unconscious. Then I became the target. We only managed to get away because of this." He held up the pendant he wore that saved their lives. Marie and June were fascinated by it, and Marie asked

"What is that?"

Blaze let the pendant drop back to his chest and he answered

"It's a teleportation pendant. Lora created it for me on my thirteenth birthday, or at least the day I was created. It allows me to teleport multiple times over short distances or make a very long jump. Once its power has ben drained, though, it has to be recharged by a psychic. Otherwise, its nothing more than a necklace with extreme sentimental value."

Lora held out her hand and said

_"And on that subject, let me recharge that for you."_

Blaze undid the pendant from the back and handed it to her. She held the main part between her hands and her eyes glowed. While she charged the pendant, Blaze continued talking to Marie and June.

"I've had to use that pendant on multiple occassions, but no matter how far we get, they always manage to find us. It doesn't help that I look like this, and the fact that nature tends to get in the way."

June tilted her head in apparent confusion and asked

"What do you mean?"

Blaze hesitated for a second, then looked at Lora as if asking something. She nodded once and continued charging the life-saving pendant. Blaze turned back to June and answered her question.

"Despite her humanoid appearance, Lora is still a pokemon. That means that, like all others, she has her mating season. In fact, I think that's coming up soon. Whenever that happens, we have to seperate for a while, and I have to go hide in a deep cave until it passes. I never use the same place, of course, but while she's gone, I'm very vulnerable. She can sense other people based on their emotions, so she knows if someone is hunting us. Plus, she can use her psychic powers to protect me from most attacks. Without that, and not knowing very well how the human world functions, I can't do very well by myself. I'm trying to get accustomed to the style the humans lead, but it's very confusing."

Nobody spoke for a minute, after which Lora handed the pendant back to Blaze and said

_"I gave it a little extra this time. Make sure you stay safe."_

Blaze smirked as he put it back around his neck and said

"Don't I always?"

Lora scowled and Blaze laughed. Then he looked back to the kitchen and sighed, saying

"I'm sorry you got involved in this. If you want, I could try and repair your house, or we can just leave and hopefully never bother you again."

Marie gave him a strange look, then said

"I think you should just leave. Even if you did fix it, with Team Rocket after you, there's a good chance they'll destroy some other part of the house."

Blaze nodded and stood, offering a hand to Lora. After lifting her up, they walked to the front door. Blaze checked outside, sweeping his head around for a full view. Once he determined there was no one around, he turned back to them and said

"Again, I'm sorry for having gotten you involved. I promise we won't bother you again. Thanks for your help."

And without waiting for a response, he and Lora left the house, Blaze putting his hands behind his head and asking Lora

"So, any idea where we should go now?"

Lora thought for a second, then replied

_"Well, first we need to find you some shelter. Then we'll worry about where to go."_

So they walked into the woods, but unbeknownst to them, a Rocket agent was standing behind the front corner of the house. He chuckled with an evil smirk and said

"Alright, I'm back on the trail."

**Ta-da! Well, that's the second chapter of Inferno ready to go. Remember, the polling for OCs is closed, so don't send anymore. Thank you.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Inferno, Ch 3**

**Alright, I've gotten some approving nods for this, so thank you those who care. This chapter might answer some questions for you, it might raise others, but it should be interesting nonetheless. So, without further ado, enjoy!**

Conflicts Aplenty…

Blaze and Lora walked through the woods, Lora searching for a cave she could hide Blaze in while she settled the mating business, and Blaze was searching for the courage to ask some questions he wondered about for quite a while.

Lora was too busy searching for the cave, a safe hiding place, for her to notice the emotional turmoil that was running through her "child" right now. Properly, he wasn't actually her child, but she had been entrusted with him since the day he was "born", and he had even called her mom before she had to break the news to him. It was a sad day…

**Flashback/ eight years ago…**

"Hey mom, check this out!" shouted a much younger Blaze, running into their shared room in an underground Team Rocket base. Lora had put aside her current project, sewing clothes for the growing child. She had to make them out of fire-retardant materials, which he said were distinctly uncomfortable. After Team Rocket had simply provided burlap sacks covered in retardants, which smelled horribly, he decided that Lora's hand-sewn clothes were softer than silk.

"_What is it, honey?"_

Blaze motioned with his hands as he backed up, clearly telling her to stay put. Once he reached a sizable distance, he drew back and inhaled deeply, then released a small plume of fire. It wasn't much, but his powers had just kicked in. Seeing this made Lora feel the cold dregs of dread flow through her body.

"_Oh, why did it have to be now?" _she asked herself. She put on the most convincing smile she could and praised him for it.

"_That's great honey, now you know that you're growing stronger, right?"_

Blaze nodded excitedly, then rushed over and tackle-hugged her on the small, coarse bed they shared. He nuzzled up against her and said

"I love you, mom."

A pang of sadness shot through her, and she rubbed his head, saying

"_I love you too, but I have to tell you something. The Rockets ordered me to tell you about your origins when your power developed, and even if I didn't want to, they will make sure you know one way or the other."_

As she spoke, hot tears rolled down her face, and Blaze noticed this.

"Mom? Why are you crying?"

Taking a gulp of air, she turned her head to the side so as not to see his betrayal and disappointment.

"_Because I'm not your mother."_

Blaze gasped lightly, and she could feel him shifting his position, perhaps to try to see her eyes better. That was unnecessary, as she looked straight at him, but what she saw was neither betrayal nor disappointment. Not yet at least. No, what registered on his face was confusion and slight hurt.

"What do you mean? You told me to call you mom, so I did. Now you're saying you're not my mother?"

He was breathing heavily now, his head turning to and fro as he tried to comprehend.

"Then… who is?"

Lora covered her eyes and said

"_I don't know. You see, Team Rocket created you."_

Blaze couldn't talk anymore, he was too shocked. Lora was crying silently now, and he curled up against her, saying

"H-how did… they… create me?"

She shook her head and replied

"_I don't know. The first time I saw you, you were nothing more than a developing baby. I had been captured and wrested from my home in the forests of Hoenn and forcefully brought here. They placed this collar around my neck and began to inform me of my place; as a mothering unit."_

"W-w-what's a mothering unit?"

"_They are female pokemon that have either not borne children or recently became pregnant. If they are pregnant, Team Rocket destroys the unborn child and essentially forces them into subservience."_

Blaze gasped, horrified.

"They would murder unborn children?!"

"_The atrocities of Team Rocket know no bounds."_

Blaze hesitated before asking

"Then what happens?"

"_Well, we are assimilated into the mothering unit group. We are forced to sit through countless lectures how to properly raise a child, then given the same lecture but with Rocket endnotes. It's a horrible process, but not nearly as bad as the children who have to be brought up in this horrid environment. Oh, Blaze, I'm so sorry for lying to you all these years, willingly or otherwise. I'll understand if you don't wish to be with me anymore."_

"Are you crazy?!"

She flinched but looked at him. He seemed mad, or even livid, but his eyes were wet, and he threw himself at her, catching her by surprise. After a moment of hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him again and gently cradled him, wishing with all her heart that this didn't have to be.After a minute, Blaze began to choke out

"I-I don't c-c-care if you're… not my m-mother… be-because, you're the only one… who doesn't t-treat me like-like… like a freak!"

Lora's eyes widened, and she gently lifted his head to meet her eyes, asking him

"_Who's been calling you a freak?"_

"E-e-everyone! They all point at me, and they whisper 'There goes that test-tubed freak!'"

Lora closed her eyes again, streaming with fresh tears. She hugged him closely and gently sang a lullaby to him, one that she had heard often back in her forest, among her kind. She had first sung it to him when she first received him, hoping to put his justified cries to ease. It had worked, miraculously, so she used it every time he came home sad, or if he couldn't get to sleep because of the nightmares he often suffered at the hands of those damned scientists.

It managed to calm him somewhat, but it couldn't take away the entirety of the pain he felt, she knew that. She tilted his head up and smiled at him, saying

"_It doesn't matter what they think, alright? Just know that you aren't a freak; you're special."_

He sniffed, wiped a tear away, then asked sadly

"I am?"

"_Yes, you are the most special child here, and do you know why?"_

He shook his head, and she answered

"_Because no matter what they do, no matter what they say, you just walk away from it. You don't start any trouble, but if it finds you, you'll send it away with its tail between its legs, right?"_

He sniffed again, but when he nodded, it was with a small, if still watery, smile. She hugged him close again and told him

"_I'm sorry I'm not your real mother; believe me, I wish I was. But no matter how you were born, we met up and became close, right?"_

After he nodded again, she said

"_And as much as I can help it, I will stay by you if you need me."_

He wiped away the remainder of his tears and said

"Really?"

She nodded solemnly and he grinned. He pressed himself back into her and asked

"Can I still call you mom?"

She gave a soft laugh at the question, then rubbed his head and hugged him, saying

"_Of course you can."_

**Present…**

Lora discreetly wiped away her tears, not wanting Blaze to see her like this. She wasn't too good at it though, and he turned his head to her and asked

"Hey, what's wrong, Lora?"

She shook her head and replied

"_It's nothing; don't worry about it."_

Blaze stopped and crossed his arms, telling her

"Look, I may not be able to sense emotions the way you can, and I might not fully understand them, but even I know that you don't cry for no damn reason. Come on, you know you can talk to me, right?"

"_He's too grown up" _Lora thought to herself _"circumstance has denied him everything he deserved. I cannot trouble him with my worries."_

She smiled and said

"_Yes, I know that, and I appreciate your concern. But it really isn't anything important."_

He gazed into her scarlet eyes for a moment, then smirked and said

"You're a terrible liar, you know that? I'll let it slide this time, but if I see you crying again, I won't stop until you either confess or knock me out cold. Whichever comes first."

Lora started laughing loudly, then quickly covered her mouth, looking hurriedly around her. When she saw no one, nor could she feel the presence of anybody, she lowered her hands and said

"_You're ridiculous, you know that?"_

Blaze chuckled softly, then said

"I learned from the best."

Lora tried to playfully swat him, but he dodged and stuck his tongue out at her. A vein twitched in her forehead, making him stop. He turned and fled further into the forest, shouting

"Shit!"

She ran after him, charging a Psychic in her hand. She would teach him to disrespect her!

She extended her consciousness to find him, and when she burst through a curtain of vines, saw him standing atop an old log. He panted and said

"Ha, ha, you'll never catch me!" He jumped to the other side of the log and after the sound of snapping twigs and rustling leaves, he fell through. He shouted out in surprise, and Lora was quickly at the log, peering into the hole. There was a moment of profound silence, then a loud _THUMP_!

Her heart seemed to fail her for a moment, at least until she heard a thunderous

"YEOW!"

She sighed in relief, the weight of the world off her shoulders for a while. She levitated herself and slid into the hole, being careful not to brush up against anything. After about two minutes, she reached the bottom, where she released herself and created a ball of light using her psychic powers. The resulting light was purple and cast strange shadows, but it effectively lit up the… whatever they were in. Lora cast the ball up high for maximum coverage, then saw they were in an underground cave.

She looked at the shifting form of the Blaziken/human hybrid getting to his feet, a bit unsteadily, and rubbing his behind, which he had landed on. He looked around him and his eyes widened.

"Whoa…"

"_Indeed. I think this will serve as an excellent location for you to take refuge in while I… settle some business."_

Blaze frowned slightly and asked

"You mean mating, right?"

Lora only blushed, she couldn't answer. Blaze shuffled his feet, then asked

"Hey Lora, why do you even go? If it's only for mating purposes, why do you go? You never do anything."

Lora sighed and told him

"_It's… complicated. Yes, we do meet for the purpose of finding a mate, but it also serves as a consensus if you will. It helps us keep up with who's around and who's… not."_

Blaze thought about this for a second, then said

"Well, is it possible that Team Rocket could track you there? And if so, then shouldn't we stick together?"

Lora hesitated for a second, then said

"_Well, Team Rocket will most likely track us wherever we go. Even so, I have to go for reasons I would rather keep to myself."_

Blaze scowled and pestered her for another five minutes while they began exploring the cave. Finally he gave up, throwing his hands into the air with exasperation.

"Fine, don't tell me now, but when you get back I will make you spill, no matter how many times you knock me out."

Lora sighed and said

"_Fine, when I return, I will tell you. But for now, review your knowledge of hunting and gathering."_

So for another ten minutes, Blaze went over the skills of hunting, trapping, and gathering Lora had taught him when they first went on the lamb. In the meantime, Lora had discovered a small but fresh stream of water that ran through the cave, meaning Blaze would have a steady supply of water, which relieved her. And as long as he didn't forget how to hunt, he wouldn't go hungry.

Soon Blaze had created a torch for himself, which he said was a relief from the sharp purple that her powers made. Lora had laughed softly at this remark, then checked his pendant to make sure he would have the necessary energy to run if he needed. She added a little extra for good measure, then the two hugged and Lora told Blaze

"_Be careful. Remember, if anything happens to me, I want you to keep running and never look back."_

"Nothing will happen to you, so quit sayin' that. I'll see you in a week."

Lora nodded, and in a flash of light, she had teleported away.

Blaze sighed, then gathered wood for a proper fire. After finding some old branches, and giving them a short blast of heat to evaporate any water, he set up a fire pit and carefully lit the campfire. He sat back in contentment for about a couple of hours before his stomach started growling loudly. He groaned and stood up, stretching.

He climbed out of the hole next to the log, but only after carefully checking for possible threats. After determining there weren't any, he scrambled out and brushed himself off, then walked on, hoping to find something slow. Most often, he blasted his prey with fire, but even as a half fire type, he preferred his meat rare. Catching something slower allowed him a bit more room for error, which he tried to never make.

Unknown to him however, the Rocket agent who had been tracking him since the incident at Marie and June's house. He stealthily followed behind him, reveling inside. He had lost track of the pair sometime after they ran through the forest. But now he had a lock again, and his Gardevoir companion wasn't with him. It would be harder if he decided to wait until the mutant was asleep to try and capture, because surely the Gardevoir would be with him again. But he could simply kill her with a special dart he had. The boss had been specific; the boy he wants alive, the condition didn't matter, but he was wanted alive. The Gardevoir, however, was a traitor and therefore to be killed on sight. If she could be used as bait, however, then that would be the priority.

In time, Blaze managed to catch his dinner, a deer of some sort, and he slung it across his back and carried it to his newest hidey-hole. He stuffed it through the hole, then tucked himself and jumped in. The Rocket tracker rubbed his hands and chuckled evilly, being sure not to be too loud. All he had to do was wait for night to arrive and the boy to fall asleep. Then he would collect the boy and his reward.

**Okay, that concludes the third chapter of this story. Tell me what you think so far and wait eagerly for the next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Inferno, Chapter 4**

**Hello, sorry about the wait. It's been a rough week. Anyway, this should be an interesting, if conflicting, chapter. I've been wondering if I should break the fourth wall on these introductions. What do you think?**

I Didn't Do It…

Blaze sat in front of his fire, enjoying the meal. He didn't really like killing, even to eat, despite its necessity. Part of the reason was that Team Rocket told him his purpose was to wipe out opposers and their pokemon. Evidently, they had suffered some kind of humiliating defeat at the hands of a brat with a Pikachu. This time, with Project Hybrid, they would be prepared.

Blaze shuddered as he remembered wanting to annihilate Team Rocket, who he considered his real enemies. He had been subjected to many tortures when he was disobedient, which was to say, a lot. Lora had always made him feel a little better, but with each new scar he gained, his psyche was damaged just a bit more. He didn't quite have the hatred towards humans in general that Team Rocket's first experiment, Mewtwo, had, but he _did _hate the Rocket's with a passion unparalleled by anyone he met so far. Though they tried to keep a low profile, he and Lora had a bad habit of meeting someone new every couple of days. Maybe they would hang around for a week or so, but Team Rocket would always make another attempt on him, and they had to split after Lora wiped their memories.

She hadn't done it to Marie and June, which surprised him, but since she wasn't here at the time, he couldn't ask her why. He held the pendant he wore so he could look at it, admiring it as he thought of her, and he remembered when she had given it to him.

**Flashback, two or so years ago…**

Blaze entered the room after a particularly brutal punishment. He had openly defied his orders in training; he was supposed to kill several small Rattatta, the scientists telling him that they could easily be replaced. Blaze had stared at them in horror, and they in turn gazed at him with wide, tearful, beady eyes. He turned his back on them, facing the scientists, crossing his arms in front of his chest and saying

"No, I won't do it."

"You'd better do it, or else!"

"Or else what?!" Blaze demanded.

"You'll torture me?! You already do that on an hourly basis! I'm used to it! You can't take away my mother because the last guys who tried to are all in the hospital! You wouldn't dare kill me, because I'm the only successful elemental hybrid you have! And if you keep trying to force me to take innocent lives, I'll take yours instead!"

He felt a massive amount of electricity surging through his body, and he fell to one knee as he tugged at the collar around his throat. It was nothing more than discomfort to him now, but it still had a tendency to mess with his nervous system, really it was a miracle that it wasn't completely fried by this time. Team Rocket preferred to use these shock collars to keep their victims in line, which was why they almost never had ground pokemon. It eventually stopped, and Blaze stood again, panting a bit. He looked at them and smirked, asking

"That all ya got?"

The lead scientist grinned evilly and stepped forward, chuckling and replying

"Oh believe me, you'll wish it was."

Several hours later, Blaze had stumbled into the room he shared with Lora, his mothering unit, the one he had believed all his life to be his mother, at least, up until a few years ago. Now he was transitioning from calling her "mom" to her actual name, Lora. It was weird at first, then less so. She continued to encourage him calling her mom, but it just didn't feel quite right to him.

She ran up to him and supported him, helping him to the bed and asking

"_What happened?"_

Blaze scoffed and said

"More of the usual. Team Rocket told me to do something; I didn't do it, so they abused me for it."

Lora shook her head and helped him sit down, saying

"_I know you don't like them, hate them, but is it worth all this suffering you go through?"_

He looked into her red eyes and told her

"It's better that I suffer rather than cause hundreds of families to do so at my hands. I could never live with myself if I did that. I just couldn't, Lora."

He bent his head in shame and exhaustion. Being tortured took its toll on a person, even someone as tough as him, and Lora rubbed his shoulder, saying

"_Don't worry; things will look up someday, you just have to weather through it."_

"But how long will that be, Lora? I've already been stuck here for my whole life; how much more of it will pass while my nervous system is being Kentucky-fried? How much longer will I be forced to try to kill children who have been forcefully separated from their previous lives? How much longer must I go on without ever knowing who my real mother and father are? Don't get me wrong, you are a great mother, but you're not _my _mother."

Blaze looked at the floor, and he was on the verge of losing his composure. Lora tentatively put an arm around him, and when he did not shrug it off, which he had a tendency to do, she drew closer and hugged him. After a moment of indecision, he hugged her back. For about ten minutes they embraced, and when they broke apart, Lora lifted his head and said

"_I may not be your true mother, but I have done the best with what I was given. And compared to the suffering you have endured, you have turned out better than I could have possibly hoped. Let me tell you a secret."_

Blaze was listening intently now, and Lora told him quietly

"_I currently hold the record for the longest-living mothering unit in this organization's history. Most are the first target for hybrids. Since they are typically within the Machop family line, though, fighting comes naturally for them. Even some others, Team Rocket children, are trained this way. When I learned of this, I was horrified that you would have to do the same for me. I wasn't worried so much for my sake as I was yours; I knew that if you had to eliminate me, willingly or otherwise, it would have meant the end of the child I raised. But you fought against it all, and to this day you remain the same as I have taught you to be. I couldn't be more proud of you."_

She smiled warmly at him, and he smiled back, then hugged her again and whispered

"Thanks."

Her smile broadened and she said

"_Don't thank me just yet. After all, today marks a special occasion."_

Blaze sat back up, confusion written across his face as he asked

"Really? What?"

"_Your birthday. Today is the day I received you, thirteen years ago, to raise as my own while Team Rocket trained you to become the ultimate fighting warrior. I know you haven't had much reason to celebrate, but considering what you have been through this past year, I thought you deserved it. I even have something for you."_

Blaze's eyes lit up and he asked excitedly

"Really? What is it?"

Lora giggled and winked, saying

"_First you have to close your eyes. And no peeking. I'll know if you are."_

Blaze rolled his eyes, then closed them. He placed his hands over them for good measure, and when Lora was certain he wasn't peeking, she closed the door, then walked to the desk she sometimes used to help Blaze study for one thing or another. She reached behind a loose panel on the wall that no one, not even Blaze knew about. She withdrew a small, sharp object crudely wrapped in brown paper. She walked over to him and sat down, then held it out in his direction and said

"_Okay, open them."_

Blaze lowered his hands and opened his eyes, immediately latching onto the brown that stood out against Lora's green skin. He lifted the package and slowly ripped the paper off. When he finished, he held a beautiful amethyst colored crystal, inscribed on which were runes he couldn't understand. There were holes on the top and bottom, presumably to attach string to. He held it up in front of his face and asked

"What is this?"

Lora smiled and said

"_It's a teleportation amulet. It can only be created by a psychic pokemon over a long period of time. It took me eight years to craft this before I was satisfied. I made sure to add holes so it could double as a necklace. When it is filled with energy from a psychic being, it allows anyone who holds it to teleport. It has a limited amount of energy, depending on how much the psychic loaded it with. The results can be a bit mixed, since the best results come from the psychic who created it filling it with energy. If another psychic does it, it can still be used for teleportation, but the user won't get as far. It can be very useful, and I hope you'll hang on to it for years to come."_

Blaze slowly stood, gazing intently at the crystal. Then he said dazedly

"This is it, our ticket out of this hellhole. We can use this to escape, forever!"

Lora sadly shook her head and said

"_It's not that easy. I have to fill it with psychic energy before it can be used for that purpose, and this collar won't let me use my power, except for the most basic, which doesn't really do anything."_

Blaze frowned and asked

"But if you need psychic power to make these, how did you do it?"

"_It only requires very small amounts at a time, sparsely used. It's like making a rock sculpture; it takes time, precision, and a lot of patience to do right. It cannot be rushed, or the results don't wind up the way they should. It could be that the crystal simply won't work, or it might even explode. I, however, took the time to make this properly. It wasn't like I was rushed into it. But filling it takes time and energy, lots of it. If I use more than what I should, this collar will shock me, breaking my concentration."_

Blaze looked at his claws, then asked

"What if I pick that for you? I can put it back on when you're finished."

Lora's eyes widened and she waved her hands frantically, saying

"_No, no! They have devices informing Team Rocket if we forcibly remove the collars, remember?"_

Blaze chuckled, then replied

"Yeah, if they're _forcibly _removed. But all I'm doing is picking the lock. I know it works because I've done it many times before. It doesn't trip anything, I get a few moments without being randomly shocked, and Team Rocket is none the wiser."

Lora considered the proposal for a minute, then said

"_You know if we flee, they will follow."_

Blaze nodded and said

"And without these damned collars on us, we'll be able to take 'em on. You don't want to waste away in here, do you?"

Lora shook her head.

"And even if you fed this with energy, there's no way I'd leave without you. I can't leave you here to suffer in my place, and they'll be sure to crack down on you if I leave you behind. So, what do you say?"

After another minute of thinking, Lora stood and gently took the crystal back, placing it behind the loose panel and telling Blaze

"_Let's wait until after lights out tonight. I'll have the time necessary to fill the crystal, and the chances of us being caught are slimmer. Besides, there's a barrack inspection today, and the last thing we need to happen is to be caught with this in our hands. Once I have it filled, the energy can be built on the day after it has settled, giving extra jump in teleportation. One more thing, it can be used to make small jumps, or to cover a very large distance."_

Blaze chuckled and said

"I think I know which one we'll be using."

**Present**

Blaze chuckled as he reminisced. They weren't exactly good times, but they were the best he had among the Rocket's base. He was full now, and he set the deer aside for breakfast tomorrow, adding more wood to the fire so it would last. Then he laid down and placed his hand under his head, falling shortly into a light sleep.

Meanwhile, the Team Rocket grunt who had been tracking him throughout the day waited on the signs of the mass sleep. When the Kricketots began chirping, he slowly crept to the hole the fire hybrid had descended into. He could see a flickering light and guessed it to be a fire. He brought out some climbing gear, looping the rope around the log in front of the hole and hooking it together, making sure it was tight. Then he started his slow, quiet descent into the hiding spot.

When he was down far enough, he risked turning to loom at his quarry. The hybrid was asleep, but lightly. He would have to go more slowly, quieter, until he started snoring. Even then he had to be careful.

He continued his descent until he touched the floor, then quickly but quietly unclipped his climbing gear, making sure it didn't bang against the wall. Then he set about creeping toward the freak. He heard him snoring, but not the deep snores that announced full-on sleep. The grunt tried stepping carefully, but even he couldn't predict everything. What he didn't know was that Blaze had set up an approximation of a burglar alarm, placing dry twigs in clusters under moss, near areas that would surely have been walked through. As the grunt brought his foot down on a clump of moss, he heard the loud snapping of multiple twigs, and his head whipped up as the boy began to stir.

Blaze's head rose up toward the sound, and he was horrified to see a man dressed in black with a large red R on his chest. He jumped to his feet and said

"You'll never take me, you know."

The grunt chuckled and said

"Is that so? Well, unlike my predecessors, I came with a fool-proof plan."

He whipped out a large net gun from behind his back and aimed it at Blaze. Blaze smirked and bent his knees, ready to dodge when the grunt fired. The grunt narrowed his eyes, then calculatingly pressed several buttons, never taking his eyes off Blaze. He pulled the trigger, and in a flash of powder, a rope net came flying out, expanding as it flew. Blaze rolled to the left, but as he settled he heard another _bang_, and a net made of metal links flew at him and caught him in it, bringing him to the floor. He struggled in it briefly, before realizing it wasn't getting him anywhere. The grunt laughed and said

"Oh, you'll never get out of that. After all this time, the boss will be happy to see you again."

The thought of seeing that bastard again drove anger through Blaze's heart, added with a touch of panic.

"No, I'll never go back!" he shouted. The grunt laughed again and hissed

"That's fine, except you have no choice. You're comin' with me, you pain in the ass."

He walked toward him, ready to drag him along. Blaze's breathing picked up, nearly causing him to lose consciousness. He shouted

"Stay the hell away from me!" then covered the area in front of him with fire. It spread from his mouth, and though he was initially shocked, he kept feeding it, not quite sure how to stop it. The grunt was shouting in agony for a moment, then all was silence, save for the raging inferno emitting from Blaze's maw.

He closed his mouth and opened his eyes, which he had closed due to the intensity of the light. He saw the metal links in front of him were glowing red from the extreme heat they had been subjected to, and the area he painted with flame was charcoal black and had the distinct odor of severe burning. Underlying it, though, was another smell, one he couldn't identify. He worked on the mesh net, eventually throwing it off of him, then rose to his full height. He looked before him and could feel his heart plunge into his stomach.

In front of him, laid out among the burnt and burning foliage was the husk of a burnt human body. That was the smell he couldn't identify; burning fat. He could feel something horrible happening to him, and he ran over close to the entrance and puked his dinner behind the rocks. After he was finished dry heaving, about five minutes later, he returned to the body and thought about this.

"I've killed… after all this time, I have finally killed somebody."

Hunting prey was nothing compared to this. He thought he felt guilty from hurting innocent pokemon, despite that being the natural course of life. But this… this was a human being, even if he was affiliated with Team Rocket, and human laws were strict against these matters. Forget the human laws, though, when considering the ramifications of Team Rocket.

"I need to get out of here" Blaze said hurriedly, panting. He ran the opposite direction of the original entrance, away from the body. He jumped over the stream several times and hopped over rocks in his way, occasionally landing painfully on the floor, but always getting back up and running again. He kept running until he found an exit to the cave and crawled out. He whipped his head around, knowing he was a good distance away. He stumbled through the undergrowth until he located another empty cave, this one well hidden but not as supplied with fresh water. That didn't matter much to him at the moment, though.

He walked past the entrance and headed for the back of the cave. There he curled up, feeling weak and tired from his exertions and having lost his dinner. He began to think about what he had done. After this, Team Rocket would be after his head; if the humans found out they would be after him, too. But there was one question that continued to assault his mind, one that caused him to enter a fitful sleep.

What would Lora say or do?

**The end of another chapter comes and goes, as do all things in their courses. Review me soon, please!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Inferno, Chapter 5**

**So, who's curious what will happen? Everyone? No one? Well, let's see what happens. For the purpose of this chapter, one week has passed.**

Please Don't Leave Me…

Lora had just finished teleporting all the way back to the forest she had left Blaze in after finishing the business she had to settle during mating season. Now she had to explain why she had to go, despite that she didn't want to. It was stupid and it made no sense to her, but she, like the rest of her kind, had to obey their rules.

She scoffed at the idea, believing it ridiculous that she had to do so despite being on the run for her life, as well as her "child's". Speaking of which, she hoped Blaze was fine. She didn't want to imagine the horrors he would face if he was recaptured, and she would not be there to mitigate his suffering.

Soon she came upon the log that marked the entrance to the cave, but automatically Lora knew that Blaze was in trouble. There, wrapped around the log, was a length of sturdy rope that went inside the hole where Blaze had taken refuge. Lora jumped over the log and used her powers to levitate herself down, not taking it slowly this time.

When she reached the bottom, she checked and saw that the rope had reached the floor, or about a few feet above it, at any rate. As soon as she noticed this, she became aware of a vile stench, two vile stenches actually. One was closer than the other, so she moved toward it to inspect the cause. Behind the rocks, she saw what appeared to be a pile of vomit. She gagged and held her hand to her mouth, closing her eyes quickly and looking away. She was not particularly fond of vomit, and after having experienced it often when Blaze was an infant, she had a rather vindictive view of it.

Now knowing the cause of the first odor, she moved inward to ascertain the origin of the second. Along the way, she found a metal-mesh net that had some scorch marks on it, and in one area the links were brittle, suggesting super-fast heating. Lora's heart thumped as she walked on, occasionally breaking large amounts of dry sticks under patches of moss. Shortly after finding the net, she walked into an area of the underground cave that immediately made her worry.

The vast majority of this portion of the cave was charcoal black, and from experience Lora knew that only one person could have done this.

"Blaze…" she muttered. She continued searching around, and soon she stumbled across something severely burnt, and when she looked down, her stomach heaved. Luckily she didn't have anything in her stomach, but now she had a better idea where that pile of vomit had come from. She looked down again to confirm it hadn't been a vision or a figment of her imagination, praying it would be.

But no, there it was. It was unmistakably human, and it was clearly dead. For how long, though, was a mystery to her. One thing was sure, though; Blaze had been captured, but he freed himself by killing his assailant. Then he left, perhaps just to get away from the odor that was threatening to consume her. However, given the evidence he had left by the entrance, she believed he had fled from the scene, and might now be anywhere because of the crystal. The most she could do, at the moment, was search through the forest and scan for the signature the crystal gave off. If he hadn't used any of the power, it would emit a very strong signal. If he had used some but not all, it would emit a noticeable signal. If he had depleted it, it would be very weak, but traceable.

She walked toward the back of the cave, hoping to get away from the horrors that lay behind her. As she walked, the air steadily cleared, allowing her more vivid thoughts of what Blaze might be suffering right now. Undoubtedly, he was not in his right mind. He hated killing, even though it was required to eat. Lora had tried to do her best to mitigate that pain, but now she would be challenged far beyond normal. Blaze had taken a human life, something he had sworn he would never do. Even if it _was_ Team Rocket who attacked him, he would still feel guilty for doing the one thing Team Rocket had tried forcing him to do, and which he resisted.

Not for the first time, Lora had wondered how she would help him if he did take a more sentient life, willingly or otherwise. All her speculations were fine and good in practice, but now that the situation had finally been applied firsthand, none of them would be of merit. She cursed to herself, then muttered out loud

"I knew something like this would happen when I left."

She walked on, using her powers to float over massive piles of rocks. In some places, she spotted traces of blood, making her think that Blaze had been through here and possibly scraped his hands and knees up. She continued on, hoping to see an exit soon.

In time, she found one, and when she crawled through it, she found herself in a completely different part of the forest. Since it wasn't familiar by any means, she knew that Blaze would have been wandering around, could even be doing so as she thought. She calmed herself and expanded her mind, hoping to find him, or at least the signature of the crystal he never removed, except to let her recharge it.

When she found neither, she frowned and inspected the ground, hoping to find any traces of him she could follow. Soon she found some torn up earth, and looking closely she could see marks made from oversized claws. Hoping she was on the right track, she jogged in the general direction it led. When the claw marks began to lighten up, she searched around first with her eyes, then her mind.

Toward the end of her mind search, she caught the faintest trace of something familiar to her. She turned her head in its direction and focused on it. It was still faint, but she recognized the trail of her crystal's energy. Since it wasn't moving, she could begin to pinpoint it. But she worried because no movement ever boded well for her or Blaze.

She walked toward the signature, hoping she could reverse whatever damage he might have inflicted upon himself. She had no doubt that dark thoughts had been pervading his mind since his "incident", and she would be hard-pressed to rid them from his core self. He deserved so much better than what he had received, but it appeared that didn't matter.

She continued following the trace of her energy, stored in the crystal, and it kept getting stronger and stronger, little by little. She was amazed that Blaze had gotten so far in his state, and it gave her hope that he could be retrieved. With time, maybe he could be back to normal.

After about an hour, she finally found the cave where the crystal's signature was strongest. During that time, she had begun to sense Blaze's emotional state, and she was very worried now. She closed her eyes and focused on him, trying to make sure he didn't notice her inadvertently. Of course, with the cloud of doom hanging over him currently, she doubted he would notice her even if she walked in. Hoping for the best, she slowly stepped into the cave, not saying anything, but trying to find Blaze in the darkness. When her vision shifted and she saw him, she raised a hand to stifle her gasp.

He was lying facing the wall at the back of the cave, in the fetal position. He was twitching, gasping occasionally. His clothes were torn and dirty, and his bodily odor pervaded the cave, almost causing her to gag. The worst part, though, had to be the flies that were covering him. It looked like he hadn't eaten this whole time, but he had to have gotten water somewhere. Nevertheless, his figure was mostly prone, except the twitches, and his mental condition wasn't much better.

"_Blaze?"_ Lora asked cautiously. He seized up, but other than that, he made no response. Lora walked in slowly, saying

"_Blaze, what's wrong?"_

He started trembling, and his voice shook as he spoke.

"You know what's wrong. Even if you didn't see it for yourself, you've seen it through my mind."

Lora couldn't deny either argument, so she said nothing. She knew she was treading on eggshells here, because if she said the wrong thing, he might completely turn against her. She knew he would never kill her, unless he had absolutely no free will, but he might rile up against her, saying things he normally wouldn't. She didn't want that for either of them, so she did the only thing she could think of; she sat next to him, despite his odor, and simply waited for him to open up. At the moment, the most she could do was be there for him, so that was what she intended to do.

He continued to tremble, and he hid his face from her. She wondered how long he had stayed like this, not counting food, water, and restroom facilitating, but she had a feeling if he wasn't doing any of that, he was curled up like this. But she wasn't aware how long it had been since the… incident. It could have been only a few days, it could have been the whole week. She needed answers, but she wasn't sure how to proceed.

He shivered and said

"So… you have fun while you were gone?"

Lora's heart broke; even now, during the worst time of his life, he still cared about her.

"_Not really. I've never liked going, especially because I have to be separated from you."_

He didn't respond, and she gulped before venturing forward.

"_So…how was your week?"_

He tensed again, and Lora panicked that she had said the wrong thing. Then he sagged and said

"I think you already know that one. I killed. After all these years, I finally granted Team Rocket's wish."

Lora hung her head for a moment, then asked

"_What happened?"_

He shivered again, then spoke in a low, quavering voice.

"The night you left, I made a fire and got some meat hunting. I set some traps, mostly sticks under moss, to alert me if someone was coming. I went to bed, but not long after, a Rocket grunt showed up."

Lora herself started to shiver, a horrified feeling stealing over her.

"He pulled out a net gun and fired a rope net, which I dodged and burned up. Then he fired a metal mesh net that I couldn't get away from in time. He started laughing and telling me I was going back."

Now he was trembling, and his voice broke apart as he kept talking.

"He said Giovanni would be very happy to see me again, and he started walking over to me, to drag me away. I panicked, I didn't know what to do. Then there was a massive heat in my throat, and I opened my mouth and covered the area in front of me with fire. The worst part was, the guy screamed for a bit… then stopped. I didn't. I kept going, until I just closed my mouth. I got the metal net off me, and when I saw what I had done, I puked my dinner up. I ran for it, going out the back of the cave. Then I found this one, and ever since, all I've done is drink or go to the bathroom."

"_You mean you haven't been eating?"_

He shook his head and replied

"I can't. Every time I do, I just throw it back up."

Lora was very concerned now. Damn those Rockets, why did they have to ruin everything?! She tentatively reached her hand out and touched his shoulder. He flinched at the contact, but she didn't back away. She scooted closer and began to rub his back, trying to ease some of the tension away. After about five minutes, he softly asked

"…why…?"

"_Why what?" _Lora asked. He turned his face to her, tears cutting through the grime that had accumulated.

"Why do you still care?! I'm a monster, can't you see that?! I shouldn't even be alive! Don't you get it?! I'm an unnatural freak of nature and a murderer! I don't deserve your care! You should be off living your life how you want to!"

He paused for a second, then he was far quieter.

"You told me you wanted to have children of your own someday. You'll never get that chance if you keep traveling with me."

Lora thought for a second, then replied

"_Maybe, but I care too much for you to just leave you behind. I told you I would help you find your place in the world, and I intend to keep that promise. Besides, you know your crystal won't be as effective if I don't charge it."_

Blaze shook his head and said

"That's weak. You know I speak the truth, and the most you can give are petty arguments. Believe me, I don't want you to go, but I also know that you can do so much better than stay in contact with me."

"_I don't believe that. If I hadn't been paired with you, I would likely be dead, and your position would be far worse than what it is now."_

Blaze said nothing in return. He just sat there, not convinced yet that he wasn't a monster. Lora stood and grabbed him with her psychic powers, saying

"_Let's get you cleaned up first, then we'll worry about food."_

He struggled a bit, but couldn't do much in his weakened state. Mindful of this, Lora held him a good two, three feet off the ground and exited the cave, found a nearby stream, then began to strip him so he could be properly bathed. He struggled against her, but since she was using her powers, there was little he could do.

When she had the tattered, grimy garments off of him, she eased him into the river. He struggled against the cold, then raised his body temperature as much as he could on his limited energy, which didn't make much of a difference. Then, while still holding him down with her power, Lora began to bathe him. He struggled again and said

"I can do this myself, Lora!"

She giggled and said

"_You can, but you won't. Besides, I've been doing this since the day you came under my care. There's nothing you have that I don't know about."_

Blaze blushed furiously but turned away, muttering darkly under his breath. Lora smirked and brought some water up in a psychic barrier, dumping it over his head. He spluttered as the water ran past his face, and when it cleared he shouted

"Dammit, warn a guy, would ya!"

Lora giggled and said

"_Feeling better already, are you?"_

"Bah" Blaze responded, turning his back on her. Lora giggled again and continued washing him. She ran her hands over the scars he had accumulated from Team Rocket's tortures, mostly whippings. There were occasions when they would go so far as to pour salt on his wounds, sometimes mixing it with lemon juice. Although somewhat childish, it was incredibly effective on its victims. Even Blaze had broken down from such a treatment, but his spirit never wavered. When she reached the end of his torso, he grabbed her hands and said

"I'll take it from here."

Lora eyed him and said

"_Are you sure? Can I trust you?"_

He nodded, so she stood and picked up his clothes, carrying them further downstream. For the most part, they were still intact, but they could use ministration. What she lacked was a needle and thread to work with. She had brought her needle, but she wound up dropping it during the course of their travels. Needless to say she never found it. Nor was she willing to steal from a human market. Forget the fact that stealing was wrong, stealing was just profoundly repugnant in her mind, especially when she saw the lengths Team Rocket went with the simple action.

Reaching a comfortable distance, she set the clothes next to her and worked on his pants first. The flame patterns on it appealed to him, and since the material was fire-retardant, there was next to no chance he would wind up naked. Lora wrung the pants several times underwater, then brought them out and inspected them. Several loose seams, some stains, and a couple of rips here and there, but overall definitely salvageable.

Next came the shirt, mostly red but with a distinct yellow spot in the center. The vest was designed to match the coloration of the shirt, with the exception of the white that would represent the fur on a normal Blaziken. Lora had done her best to disguise him as a Blaziken since there was no helping his claws or horns, and from a good distance you couldn't really tell. Up close, though, and it was obvious he wasn't a Blaziken. He could pass off as a regular human, just strangely dressed, but when it's revealed his clawed "gloves" don't come off, that's when the trouble starts.

Lora sighed as she set the shirt on top of the pants, draped across a rock in the sun. She expanded her mind to make sure nobody was sneaking up on them. So far, she felt no one, but that had been the case before she left. She was fairly positive that they had developed a method to avoid her psychic wanderings, so now caution was top priority. Not that it hadn't been before, but nothing ever triumphed over STAY ALIVE.

She soon finished washing the clothes out, which had been desperately needed, and she wrung them as hard as she could to get all the water out. When she finished, the clothes were very wrinkled, but dry. She smoothed the wrinkles out and walked back to where Blaze should still be.

He was still in the river, not wanting to be fully exposed. She laid the clothes on another rock and went off to give him privacy. As he grew, he became more secretive, and while that was to be expected, it still saddened her. She loved to entertain that she was, in fact, his mother. But then reality would slap her in the face and she would feel empty inside.

When she heard footsteps behind her, she turned and saw a much cleaner Blaze walking up to her. Normally he would stride, but circumstance had robbed him of his pride. Lora sighed inwardly and asked

"_Shall we hunt?"_

Blaze's stomach growled loudly at the prospect of food, but he said

"I'm not hungry."

His stomach reacted to that, it seemed, growling loudly in protest. Lora looked seriously at his face and said

"_You shouldn't do that to yourself; it's not doing you any favors."_

He shook his head and told her

"I can't eat anything right now. I just don't have any appetite."

Lora said nothing. Instead, she turned and began to walk through the forest, hoping to find some berries. Since she hadn't been paying attention before during her search for Blaze, she didn't know if this forest even had berries. If not, they would have to use the crystal to find something else. She didn't eat meat, so that wasn't an option for her.

For the next half hour she searched, but the forest was devoid of edible berries. Lora threw her hands up in frustration and said

"_I give up. Maybe we should just teleport somewhere else and find food there."_

Blaze walked up to her and said

"There's no guarantee that we'd find somewhere with food. And even if we did, we could easily be found again. And I really don't want to go through that again."

Lora turned to face him, then cupped his cheek in her hand and said

"_I promise, while I'm around, I won't let anything get to you. Please, let me help you. I know I can."_

Blaze hung his head for a minute, and when he raised it again, he nodded and grabbed the crystal in his hand. He held his hand out, and Lora grasped it. He drew her closer, then closed his eyes. The crystal began to glow, and in a flash of white light, they were gone.

**Well, then, how was that? Let me know soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Inferno, Ch 6**

**Hello once more. EmDrago is back with another one. Sorry for the delay, things have been kinda hectic. At any rate, let's move this on.**

Suspicion…

Blaze and Lora appeared in a bright flash in a forest, near a civilian city. Blaze shrank back in fear; the last time they had been to a city, Team Rocket had found them in less than a day. Blaze shivered at the memory, and Lora said

"_You stay here, and I'll take care of the supplies."_

"Are you sure? I don't want you getting hurt, and a lone Gardevoir isn't exactly inconspicuous, you know."

Lora rolled her eyes and said

"_I know that, but I'm not without protection. Besides, we need the supplies, and you can't go in without being noticed."_

Blaze growled in frustration and Lora quickly amended

"_It's not your fault, I'm not saying that. But the fact remains that you're easily spotted, and there isn't much we can do about it."_

Blaze thought for a second, then asked

"What if we got me one of those hooded jackets? One with a large hood, so it could cover up my horns?"

Lora placed a hand to her chin and thought for a second, then reached up and lightly grasped one of the horns that made a V on his forehead. When she brought her arm down, she shook her head and said

"_No, that won't work. Even if we could find a hood large enough to cover your horns, it would make the hood assume a strange shape. It would cause too much suspicion, and that's the last thing we need right now. I have a bit of money left over, so I'll see how much we can get, but then we'll have to rely on hunting and foraging."_

Blaze hesitated, then nodded, telling her

"Just be careful. If you're not back by sundown, I'm coming for you, no matter the risk."

Lora knew she couldn't dissuade him, so she agreed. She hugged him, then stood straight and walked into the town, trying to be as easy-going as possible. Some people gave her looks, but nothing overly worrisome.

**Blaze's POV**

As Blaze watched her go, his worry for her well-being increased, but he knew there was nothing he could do without automatically giving themselves away. He sat down at the base of a tree, making sure he couldn't see the town and that he couldn't be seen. All he could do now was wait on Lora, but he really didn't want to wait so long. While she was around, he felt almost normal again.

But now that she had left, not only did he feel exposed, he also began to think about the grunt he had killed back in the underground cavern. After having relocated, the man began haunting his dreams. All he could see was the man's face, at least until it burst into flames. He lowered his head and buried his face into his arms, trying to smother the flames in his eyes. But it didn't work, since fire burns brightest in the dark.

He lifted his face with a gasp, then growled in frustration.

"The bastard deserved it, he would have taken me back where I would have been subjected to the worst tortures. I was acting in self-defense, I'm completely justified" he told himself. His frustration wore off, to be replaced by anxiety. He rested his chin against his arms and thought

"_But if that's the case, then why do I feel so guilty?"_

**Lora's POV**

Lora walked through the town, conscious of the looks she was attracting. Most were just curious, as pokemon weren't always traveling through towns unless they were accompanied by their trainer. Luckily, Lora had taken a precaution and had blaze capture her. It had been tortuous to him, and took a week of coaxing and negotiating with him before he consented to do it, and he had immediately let her out afterwards, vowing he would never put her back in there again. Lora didn't care much for it herself, but if push came to shove, she would use it.

She walked up to a map of the town and searched for a shop or mart of some sort. It wasn't food so much that she needed, but if she could spare for it she would. No, what they needed were the more lasting supplies, preferably something like sleeping bags. A bit of a long shot, but maybe it could be done. She looked carefully around, then reached under her skirt and pulled out a small bag which she used to carry what money they could find. There were many nights when she and Blaze had scrounged around wishing wells and some fountains.

Lora felt guilty about the acts, of course, but their survival was more important than wishes that were nothing more than pipe dreams. Blaze's own wish was to be free of Team Rocket and never be bothered by them again. Lora opened the bag and peered inside. The amount they had decreased substantially after making a specific purchase to afford more material for Blaze's clothes. If he was going to be noticed, might as well do it with flare. Although now she was beginning to rethink her opinion.

"Looking for something?" someone said behind her. She jumped and hid the bag of money behind her back as she faced her visitor. It was a tall boy, who looked about sixteen or so, and his major color seemed to be black. He was wearing black jeans, long-sleeved shirt, shoes and fingerless leather gloves. The only change in color was a bright green sweater vest, which Lora thought clashed horribly with the rest of his outfit.

He also had black eyes and hair, which went everywhere in spikes but hung over his forehead. He wore an earring in his left ear and a kind but curious expression.

"_Oh… um, I'm just… looking for a shop… my master needed some supplies, but he was busy, so he sent me to get them. Do you know where I could find some?"_

The boy grinned and told her

"Well, you're lucky you appeared in Celadon City, home to the great Celadon Department store. They have pretty much everything you could ever need, and then some. Need help getting over there?"

Lora began to feel nervous, but she kept herself as calm as possible and replied

"_Oh, that's very kind of you, but could I just get directions there?"_

The boy raised an eyebrow but said

"Alright, just head down toward the end of this street and hang a right. It's at the end, you can't miss it. It's very colorful, covered with banners."

Lora nodded and said

"_Thank you, Mister…?"_

"Oh, my name is Loki Del Desierto Rojo, but my friends call me Loki Riko." Lora cocked her head in confusion, but she bowed and said

"_Thank you for your kindness, Loki. I'll see you around, perhaps."_

As she turned, Loki waved her off and said to himself

"Hmm, better watch out for this one…"

Lora walked down to the end of the street and turned right as Loki had suggested, and looked at the end of the street. She saw a massive building that was indeed covered in banners advertising multitudes of items. She gulped nervously and continued forward, doing her best to ignore the stares she was getting as she approached the department store.

She walked inside and was blasted by the air conditioning, making her shiver a bit. One of the greeters looked at her and said

"Excuse me, do you have a permit or a trainer?"

Lora held up the pokeball she had Blaze capture her in, and the man nodded and said

"Very well, enjoy our selection."

Lora nodded and walked further in. She shivered again at the air conditioning and began to look around. She saw a sign near two sets of red doors with strange buttons which she recognized as elevators. She approached the sign and tried to read it. During her time in Team Rocket, she had tried to become literate, but the Rockets had been worried that mothering units would warn the outside world as to what was happening, so they were stridently kept illiterate. That was also why she would have such a large price on her head, so to speak. She now carried damning information against them, but they were in the hopes that until she could be contained and disposed of, the authorities wouldn't listen to a pokemon or believe any story she told them.

Lora sighed in resignation; she couldn't make much sense of the words on the sheet, so she had to manually search through everything. The first floor didn't appear to have anything on it, so she walked up the stairs to the second floor. There she began to see a much larger crowd, making her nervous. She went to the elevator and pressed the up arrow button, hoping to get out of this crowd.

The doors opened and she rushed inside. The elevator attendant appeared surprised at the hurry of the green and white humanoid pokemon, but she soon cleared it and asked

"Where would you like to go?"

Lora looked over the colored map of the store provided on the wall and pointed to the top of the store. The attendant nodded and pushed a button with the number "6" on it, which began to glow. The elevator started to lift, and after a moment a bell _dinged_ and the attendant said

"Sixth floor, Rooftop Atrium. Thank you, come again."

Lora exited the elevator and looked around. There was a much smaller crowd now, but the only thing that appeared to be here were a few machines that had a large colorful drink on the front, and on a black, metal strip on the right side was a set of buttons with more pictures on them. Lora watched as a human put a couple of coins into a slot, then pushed one of the buttons. The machine clattered for a second, then a bottle filled with a white liquid, which Lora believed to be milk, popped out in an open slot near the bottom. The human retrieved his prize and went back to his seat.

Curious, Lora approached the strange machine and looked it over. She pressed against the front, and it bent back; she quickly let go and it popped back into place. She looked on the black strip and observed the buttons. There were only three, one of them had a picture of a plastic bottle with water in them, the middle one was a yellow can, and the top one was the bottle of milk. She pressed the button for the yellow can, and a small red screen flashed something she couldn't read.

"You need to put your money in first, you know" an irritated voice told her. Lora whirled around and looked at a paunchy man with his arms crossed in irritation. Lora backed away in shame and defeat, her head hung low. The man scoffed and walked up to the machine. He took some coins out of his pocket, then sifted through them. He picked several out, then inserted them into a small slot under the red screen. Numbers appeared on the screen, changing with each coin he put in. Then he pressed the button for the yellow can, which popped out in the open part of the machine.

He pulled the can out, then spared Lora a passing glance with a scoff. Lora went back to the machine, then brought out her bag of money. She chose some of the bigger coins, then began inserting them into the slot she had seen earlier. She watched the numbers steadily climb, and after she inserted one more coin, she noticed that the red numbers on the screen matched the numbers on the picture for the yellow can. Tentatively, she pressed the button for the yellow can, and after the machine rattled more than it usually did, catching everyone's attention, two yellow cans appeared in the open slot.

Lora reached down and grabbed both of them, wondering why she got two.

"Wow, you're lucky!" a small voice shouted behind her. She whirled around again and saw a small boy in a t-shirt and shorts with a hat staring at her. He said

"Not many people get the two-in-one win. Those machines have some kind of glitch or something where occasionally you can get an extra drink. The owners don't want to replace the machines because it actually put their drink sales through the roof. Good job on your first try!"

Lora smiled and nodded slightly. She went and sat in one of the chairs by the window overlooking the city. It was a very nice view since the city was comprised of a multitude of colors, creating attractive scenery. Lora looked down at one of the cans she held and saw they were both sealed. On top of each was some kind of compacted metal… thing. Curious, Lora reached a finger underneath the part of the tiny metal object that could be lifted and pulled it up.

There was a slight hiss from the can, the metal piece lifted up, and a hole appeared in the can. Lora peered inside and saw a yellowish liquid. A bit wary, she lifted the can toward her face and sniffed it. It had an aroma that put Sitrus berries in mind, and she experimentally stuck her tongue in it. The taste was much like Sitrus berries, but when she tried to adjust her tongue to taste more of it, she felt something sharp run across her tongue, cutting into it. With a sharp yelp, she yanked the can off her tongue, spilling some of the drink on the floor in front of her and drawing the attention of the patrons on the floor.

Lora stuck her tongue back out and ran her finger over the cut, showing blood on it. Worried, she stared warily at the beverage until the same boy came up to her and asked

"What's wrong? Did you get hurt or something?"

Lora hesitated, then nodded. The boy cocked his head and asked

"What happened?"

Lora began to mime what she did. She imitated pulling the top, then motioned her tongue going for the drink, then showed him the cut. The boy chuckled and said

"You've never had something in a can before, have you?"

Lora slowly shook her head, then the boy chuckled again. He motioned for the other can, making Lora hesitate. The boy smiled and said

"Don't worry, I won't take it. I just want to show you how you're _supposed _to drink it."

After another moment of hesitation, Lora surrendered the unopened can. The boy smiled and held it out slightly in front of him, then began to explain.

"Okay, all you have to do is pull open the tab" he pretended to do that to the unopened one "and lift the hole in the can towards your mouth. Make sure your mouth goes over the hole, or some of the drink will spill out onto you. Also, don't try to take too much, or you'll get the same result."

Lora watched the boy demonstrate lifting the can and tilting it toward his mouth. Then she tried doing the same thing, making sure to aim it perfectly at her mouth. Some of the liquid poured down her throat, making her cough and splutter. The boy pounded on her back to help her, and when she recovered she growled in frustration. All this trouble from one beverage?!

The boy chuckled again and said

"You might also want to be careful where exactly the drink goes. I figured I wouldn't have to explain that, but…" he shrugged as a finish to his statement. Lora growled again and raised the can back up to her lips, making sure the liquid didn't pour down her throat this time. Now in control of the beverage, she really tasted it for the first time, and once again she thought of Sitrus berries. She didn't mind sour things, but she had a preference for sweet.

She swallowed the beverage, making careful sure that she didn't breathe at the same time. Proud of her accomplishment, she lifted the can again and drank some more of it. She now had the hang of drinking from a can, and she smiled at the boy in thanks. He nodded and got up to leave. Lora finished the drink and threw the can into the trash basket, then held onto the remaining can, hoping to save it for Blaze. The crowd was slightly larger on this floor of the store, but not enough to offset her comfort. She looked at the available wares, but all there were was capsules and drinks of some sort, or at least that's what Lora saw.

She descended to the next floor and saw an assortment of brightly colored envelopes. With nothing else there, she visited the next floor which contained interesting discs. She waved for an attendant and motioned toward the discs, raising her eyebrows.

The attendant gave her a strange look and replied

"These are TMs, special discs that teach a trainer's pokemon moves they might be able to learn but can't do so normally. They're fairly expensive, but worth the money. Where's your trainer, anyway?"

Lora avoided the man's eyes and ducked away. Behind her, the attendant was suspicious but decided not to do anything. She made it to the staircase and looked around. Then she descended and saw she was back in the first room she had visited, the one with the large crowd. She took a deep breath, then entered the crowd. She began to move around, searching for the supplies she needed. Fortunately, it seemed that everything she needed was here. She grabbed a couple of sleeping bags and tents, a large pack, and some nonperishable foods. She waited in line to the counter, happy she found everything she needed. She just hoped she had enough to get it all. There was more she wanted, but she had to be realistic.

Eventually she came up to the counter and unloaded her supplies on the counter. The attendant smirked and pressed some buttons on a strange machine. A little black screen with oddly shaped green numbers flashed with each beep, and then the attendant told Lora

"That'll be two-hundred-fifty."

Lora brought out her bag and dumped the change on the counter, then pushed it all to him, smiling. Her smile dropped when she saw the attendant's face and could feel his anger through her chest spike. She cowed as he said maliciously

"What are you trying to pull, huh?! You think this is anywhere near enough to get this stuff?! I ought to-"

"Hold it!" a voice shouted, cutting the attendant off. Lora turned and saw the boy from earlier, Loki, approach them and say

"Excuse me sir, but is there any reason you're screaming at this poor Gardevoir?"

"She thinks she can pay for this stuff with chump change!"

Loki looked over the supplies and money quickly, then gasped and looked at Lora, saying

"Oh my, did I forget to give you the right amount again? Every time I do this, you wind up paying for it! You'll forgive me, won't you?" Lora just stood there, shocked. Loki shouted in anguish and said

"Alas, I have caused her too much suffering! I must remember to give her the right amount next time, lest she decide to leave me, for then I-"

"Look, I'm tired of your theatrics. Are you her owner or what?"

Loki stopped and nodded, saying

"Yes, I'm sorry about this. How much is it?"

"Two-hundred-fifty" the attendant huffed. Loki raised an eyebrow, but took his wallet out. He removed a small plastic card and swiped it through another machine, typed in some numbers, and the attendant bagged the supplies and handed them to Lora with a suspicious glare. Lora bowed to him and immediately turned tail, Loki following close behind. Lora walked for a minute before turning and saying

"_Thank you very much. But why did you do that?"_

Loki shrugged and said

"I like helping people. And it looked like you needed it. What're all those supplies for, anyway?"

Lora hesitated, unsure whether or not she could trust this human. He gently said

"Look, I don't want you thinkin' you owe me for getting you that stuff, so if you don't want to explain, that's fine."

Lora hesitated again, then shook her head and said

"_No, you seem trustworthy. But we need to speak where no one else can hear."_

Loki raised an eyebrow, then said

"Very well, follow me."

Lora walked with Loki throughout the large city, and while they sometimes got looks, there were not nearly as many as when Lora had first entered. Loki stopped in front of the Pokemon Center for the city and waited for the automatic doors to open. He led her through the center and to his rented room, where he locked the door and looked at her expectantly. She felt a stab of worry but pushed it down and began.

"_These supplies are for a friend of mine and I. We're… traveling right now."_

Loki had suspicion in his eyes and said

"You say that as if there were a better word to describe what you're really doing."

Lora flinched and replied

"_Well, there is, but I don't want to say it."_

Loki nodded, then motioned for her to continue.

"_We have been mostly relying on the wild to provide for us, but with these supplies we might be able to travel better."_

Loki thought for a second, then asked

"May I ask exactly where you plan on going?"

Lora hesitated again before saying

"_We're only trying to find a safe place for now. Exactly where doesn't matter, just so long as we can escape."_

Loki frowned.

"Escape what?"

Lora hesitated again before quietly asking in his mind

"_Can you keep a secret?" _

Loki nodded without a second thought, and Lora took a deep breath. Then she told him

"_We're on the run from Team Rocket. They… did something horrible to my friend, and me as well, and we escaped. They're pursuing us to capture him and likely kill me. No one, not even the police, will listen to or believe us. I imagine you don't either, and I'll understand if you don't. If that's the case, I should leave now because my friend is waiting for me."_

Loki thought for a minute, then unlocked the door and told Lora

"I won't tell a soul of your circumstances, but don't let me detain you any longer if your friend is waiting for you. I hope our paths will cross again."

Lora nodded and headed for the exit, stopping to bow to Loki and say

"_Thank you again for your help."_

Loki nodded and smiled, then said

"Anytime."

Lora left the building, drawing the attention of the nurse, and immediately set out for the woods to find Blaze and give him the good news.

**And that marks the end of another chapter. ****dub-step syndicate king****, I hope you found this to your liking. Remember to review, people!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Inferno, Chapter 7**

**Hellooo, one and all! EmDrago here, back with another installment! I gotta admit, I'm curious just how far this could go. Anyway, enough blathering from me, let's get to the story!**

A Dark Place In A Bright Mind

**Blaze's POV**

As Blaze sat in his spot next to the tree, he began to think about his experience with Team Rocket. He had been tortured on a multitude of occasions, tested on plenty of times before, and even forced to do unpleasant things going against his nature, but he had always refused to kill, no matter what they threw at him. But now… now things were just strange.

While he regretted the actual killing, he didn't regret who he had taken. Anyone who treated Team Rocket with religious zeal was beyond help, anyway, and for the sake of everybody, should just be put away.

"_Is that how I really feel?"_ Blaze asked himself. He wasn't sure.

He was only fifteen but looked older due to his height, yet some might have called him a child due to his wear. He happened to like it since it matched the species whose blood ran through his veins, blood he had spilled too often for his liking. But sometimes it was just too much of a giveaway. He would have to consult the matter with Lora when she returned. _If _she returned.

"_Stop thinking like that."_

He shook his head to clear his head, then stood up and began to pace around. He wasn't sure how much time had passed; he used the sun as an indicator, but it was currently hidden by the leafy canopy above him. Nor did he dare risk exposing himself unless it was a life-or-death circumstance. Or if Lora was in danger.

He didn't necessarily need her for physical help; he needed her for emotional support. Throughout his life, he had been referred to as the "test-tube freak". He hated that reference, but nothing he said would get them to stop, and he refused to stoop to their level to get what he wanted. So he relied on Lora to pick him back up where the others tore him down. It had been up to her to fit back together the pieces that made him up, that everyone was so fond of tearing apart, like a roast chicken.

He looked at the city, worried for Lora's safety. But she was far safer without him, especially in a crowded place such as a city. And she had some protection in the form of her pokeball. Blaze shivered as he remembered her trying to coax him into trapping her in the thing. Pokemon, he thought, deserved to be free, as much as he wanted freedom. Who was he, then, to trap helpless pokemon into those cursed, metal spheres?

He shook his head again and looked back at the city, fingering the crystal Lora had given him. He remembered the day they used it to escape, though it had been very dangerous…

**Flashback/ two years or so ago…**

Blaze limped into his and Lora's shared room. The beating he took today was particularly brutal, and he hoped the crystal would have enough energy to make their escape fast. He couldn't do it tonight, though. His leg was too painful right now to even think about it.

"_Oh, Arceus, what happened _this _time?" _Lora asked him as he stepped in, panting from his exertions. He looked up at her with the one eye that wasn't swollen shut, and he replied

"They tried to make me mate again today, but I fought back."

Lora scoffed in disgust, then patted the space on the bed next to her. He limped over to her and propped his leg up, sucking in his breath when Lora began to wrap up the damaged leg.

"How much more energy does the crystal need before we can use it?" Blaze whispered. Lora looked at the door and responded

"_We can use it at any point right now. However, our chances of escape are at their highest if we fill it to the maximum level. With the restrictions I have to keep, I can only afford so much. At the rate I'm going, it might take another month before we can attempt it, but if we do wait until then, our chances are better. Besides, you need time to heal."_

Blaze shook his head and responded

"It doesn't matter if I had a _year_ to heal; they'll just keep hurting me. I wouldn't want to try it tonight; I can barely walk, let alone run. But I would prefer to do it sometime this week."

Lora froze in shock, and she asked

"_Are you crazy?! If we did that, we wouldn't get very far, you won't have enough time to heal, we have no supplies-"_

"Lora," Blaze cut her off "we can't let such things stop us. Yes, I know it will be difficult, but if we stay here it will become impossible. I can't take this abuse much longer, and I want to see the clear skies, breath the fresh air, and know what true freedom feels like. The longer we wait, the more likely they'll catch onto us. We need to act before it's too late."

Lora hesitated, thinking about their precarious position. If they didn't do this right, and the first time, Blaze would experience torture unlike anything he had ever suffered before, and they would likely kill her, so she wouldn't be able to help.

"_You do realize if we screw this up it will mean my death and your suffering, right?"_

He looked at her with blazing determination and said

"Then we won't screw up."

"_Blaze-"_

"Lora. We. Will. Not. Screw. Up. Do you understand me?"

After a moment of hesitation, she nodded.

**Three days later…**

Blaze walked in, his leg feeling much better due to Lora's administrations. Fortunately, the scientists had gone easy on him today. He closed the door behind him and asked quietly

"Is it ready?" Lora nodded and pulled the crystal from the little hole in the wall, showing it to him. Blaze grabbed it in his claws and inspected it. Finally he said

"It doesn't look any different than before. Are you sure this will work?"

Lora nodded and replied

"_It will work, but I don't know how far we'll get. I also don't know any specific places we could travel to, so there's no telling where we'll end up."_ Blaze nodded and said darkly

"Anywhere else is better than here. Do we have any supplies?"

Lora shook her head and said

"_Not in the lines of food. We'll have to rely on the wild for food and water. The most we have is the clothes on your back and the bed blanket. Other than that, we have nothing."_

Blaze paused for a moment, then linked his hands behind his head with a huge grin and saying

"So we'll build ourselves up from the bottom, huh? Well, you gotta start somewhere, I suppose."

Lora sighed heavily and asked

"_Are you even taking this seriously? Do you know the consequences of what we're planning?"_

Blaze lowered his arms, his face darkened, and he replied

"Of course I do; if we fail, you die and I suffer. But if I let that go through my head, then I'll only wind up being scared out of my mind, and I don't need that right now."

Lora paused, then nodded.

"_Then we might as well hope for the best. When will we leave?"_

"About an hour after light's out. That should be safest."

Then it became a waiting game. They kept calm all through the rest of the time they were expected to stay in their room, following their regular routine, including dinner hour and even conversing with the others, or in Blaze's case, taking the torrent of abuse. Then it was shower hour, and when that had passed they were expected to stay in their rooms again. This would go on until light's out, at approximately nine o'clock. Then everyone was expected to go to bed until five-thirty in the morning, where the cycle would begin again.

After the lights had gone out, Lora and Blaze simply sat in their bed, waiting for the guard's rounds to pass by them, generally an hour or so. Once it had, Blaze picked the lock to the collar around Lora's neck, then she created a small ball of glowing psychic energy so they could see. As quietly as they could manage, they began to gather what things they could take. Blaze got fully dressed and took the crystal in hand, thinking it would definitely be easier to carry around if he could find some string, or even a chain, to make it into a necklace.

When Lora was ready, they checked around the room one more time to see if they had missed anything, then Lora held tightly to Blaze. She had instructed him how to use it, and he had been trying to find a location as far away as possible from Team Rocket. He wasn't too proficient at reading maps, though, so there was no telling where a good location was. From what he could gather, they were in a certain region, named Kanto, and they were somewhere called the "Sevi Islands", a set of seven islands separated from the rest of the region.

He looked over the map, hoping to find something half decent. Finally, he settled on a big city in the middle of the region, believing they could take cover there. He concentrated on the place he saw on the map. The crystal began to glow, and in a flash they were gone, the price for their return to be set the very next day.

**Present**

Blaze shook his head at his idiocy.

"_Maybe if I had chosen a much smaller town, none of this would have happened. But I was too hopeful that a large city could give us better cover. What it really meant was more people to gawk at me. Damn it!"_

He paused when he heard light footsteps, then jumped up into the tree he had been hiding behind. Within a minute, Lora appeared bearing two cylindrical things attached to straps wrapped around her shoulders, and in her arms she held two more cylinders, these different colors. Finally she was wearing a pack on her back, and Blaze jumped back down, taking her by slight surprise. She quickly got over it as he asked

"How did it go? And what did you get?"

She began to unload the stuff, describing each one as she did.

"_This is the two sleeping bags I got, as well as two tents. I also have a pack and some non-perishable food. And I found a little something for you."_

She handed the yellow can to him, and he gripped it in his claws. Then he looked over the items and said

"I don't think you had enough money for all of this. What happened?" Lora shook her head and replied

"_Actually, I don't think I could have bought one of these things on my own. This nice young man helped me, he said his name was Loki Del Desierto Rojo, or Loki Riko. He was a strange character, and I sense he had a turbulent past. Anyway, he directed me to the store where I found all this, and he helped pay for it when I realized I didn't have enough. The guy who told me the price was a real jerk about it, though. Anyway, he came in, pretending I was his pokemon, paid for the stuff, then let me go."_

Blaze narrowed his eyes in suspicion, asking

"You didn't tell him anything, did you?" Lora hesitated for a moment, then replied

"_Nothing important. We should get going now, don't you think?"_

Blaze was suspicious, but he was more wary about hanging anywhere near human dwellings, so he began to pick up the stuff, slinging most of it across his back. He turned to Lora when he was finished and said

"Alright, let's get going." The two began to walk off into the forest, away from the city and the potential dangers it held.

**At the edge of the city…**

Loki spotted the pair through his miniature binoculars, and while the Gardevoir appeared as normal as ever, there was something profoundly… off about the Blaziken he suspected was her travel companion. He knew about Team Rocket, had even gone up against them sometime before. So he wondered just what they had done to make this couple want to avoid them, though it could have been anything considering who they were up against.

He put away his binoculars after they disappeared into the forest, then turned to his Garchomp, saying

"Looks like something fishy is up, and I intend to find out what. If anything, there might be someone we could help." The Garchomp gave him a look he had seen before, and he said

"I know, I know, but those idiots did that to themselves. I don't think these pokemon will cause us any trouble, so long as the Gardevoir's Blaziken friend isn't as much trouble as I suspect he could be. Let's just follow them at a distance for now and see what happens, okay?"

The Garchomp sighed, then nodded. The two set out into the forest, following the same trail Lora and her friend had taken, hoping to make a difference in someone else's lives.

**Well, that's all I got for now. Review soon!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Inferno, Chapter 8**

**Hello, everybody, once again inspiration has struck me! Hope you enjoy.**

A Shadow In The Night

Blaze and Lora were walking down a very old trail, away from the city. With each step, Blaze grew more relaxed, a fact Lora was aware of. But she was following her own train of thought right now.

"_We need to find a way to permanently escape Team Rocket. But they're very powerful here. Maybe our only option is to flee to another region."_

Unfortunately, her knowledge of the various regions was detrimental. She was originally from the Hoenn region, kidnapped by Team Rocket and trained to be a mothering unit for an experiment. Even if they went back to Hoenn, her knowledge of the region was sketchy at best.

"_Besides," _she thought _"my people wouldn't be so accepting of Blaze, and I can't leave him to fend for himself. No, we need to head to another region, but I don't even know what their names are!"_

Meanwhile, Blaze was in a world of his own.

"_What are we going to do? All we keep doing is running, all over the place, but they find me anyway! What we need is a way to keep safe, to be able to hide from them. If we get ambushed, and if I kill again…"_

He shook his head to dispel the thoughts, and Lora asked

"_Blaze, are you alright?"_

He thought for a moment how to best put his concerns into words, and he replied

"I just want safety, and I don't know where we'll find that. Do you have any ideas?"

Lora paused for a second, then said hesitantly

"_Well, only one. I think, in order to be safe from Team Rocket, we'll have to flee the region."_

Blaze stopped in place, stunned for a moment. Then he said

"Flee the region? But where would we go?" Lora shrugged and said

"_I don't know; I have no knowledge of the other regions. But I know we're not safe here in Kanto. I can't guarantee we're safer somewhere else, but it's a chance we'll have to take, won't we?"_

Blaze thought on it as he began walking again, and after about five minutes, he said

"I suppose you're right. But I would like to know where we could go before we make any big moves, okay? And on that note, could we use the crystal to get to another region?"

Unbeknownst to them, A Gliscor flew past silently overhead, returning to their stalker.

**Loki, about 100 yards behind**

Loki waited for his faithful Gliscor to return to him. Over the years he had spent with his pokemon, he came to be able to understand them a little, but it was like a massive game of charades, with him more often than not nearly getting attacked because he couldn't understand what they were trying to mime. But he made a conscious effort, so they forgave him for it.

At the slight rustling of leaves, Loki looked up and spotted the Fang Scorp pokemon. He held his position as the pokemon landed in front of him, and Loki asked

"So, you get to hear anything they were saying?" Gliscor nodded and took a nearby twig, drawing out something in nearby dirt. It was a wonky shape, and Gliscor motioned first toward it, then to the general area around them. Loki paused for a second, then asked

"Is this supposed to be representative of something?" Gliscor nodded again and pointed to its drawing, then held its arms out. Loki looked around for a second, then said

"This area we're in right now?" Gliscor shook its head, then held out one of its pincers/claws, originally closed but opening it.

"Bigger?" Loki asked, and Gliscor nodded, holding out its arms again.

"Much bigger?" After another nod, Loki placed a hand to his chin and asked

"This forest?" Gliscor shook its head and stretched its arms as far out as it possibly could. Loki's eyes lit up, he pointed at Gliscor, and said

"The region?" Gliscor nodded and sighed, letting its arms drop. Then Loki asked

"Our region?" Gliscor nodded again, and Loki asked

"What about it?"

Gliscor held up both its pinchers, then motioned them toward their "prey".

"The two we're following?" Gliscor nodded again and Loki asked

"So it has something to do with them and the region as a whole?" Gliscor nodded once more, glad he was finally getting it.

"Okay, do you have any more details on that?" Gliscor nodded once more, then took its twig and drew out a large circle. It flew briefly to the middle of it and landed, then pointed at its original drawing, then to its newest drawing.

"This circle represents the region now?"

Gliscor nodded again, then motioned toward Blaze and Lora again, then at itself.

"And you're them?"

After another nod, Gliscor jumped out of its circle and stared up at Loki, who raised an eyebrow in confusion. Gliscor slapped its face with its right pincer, then hopped back into the circle, pointing again at the original drawing, the new one, then toward Lora and Blaze, and finally itself. It hopped out of the circle one more time, and Loki furrowed his brows, beginning to piece it together.

"Okay… so if _that's _the region… you're them… they want to leave the region?"

Gliscor flopped onto its back, heaving a sigh of relief. Loki smirked and said

"No need to get dramatic. Good job. I guess we can help after all. Keep an eye on them and report back to me when they stop for the night, alright?"

Gliscor stood and brushed itself off, nodding its head, then taking off. Loki watched as it flew through the tree line and disappeared to find and track their prey. Loki frowned and began walking where it flew off to, taking out his mini-binoculars and checking ahead of him. They were pretty much lost from his vision, but that meant they couldn't see him, either.

He brought them down and kept to the trail, hoping the Gardevoir he helped earlier and her friend were doing the same. Considering the history they apparently had with Team Rocket, he wouldn't have been surprised if she was intent on avoiding any trails and possibly leaving tracks. On the other hand, by keeping to a trail, even if it was old, they could move faster. It was really a matter of preference.

He kept as silently as he possibly could, but he had a sneaking feeling that something momentous was about to happen. When he heard the resounding _BOOM_, he rushed forward, hoping he wouldn't be too late. More rustling occurred above him, and he quickly looked up to see his Gliscor.

"Gliscor, what happened?!"

"Gli, gli Gliscor!" Loki didn't understand any of it, of course, and he felt there wasn't time for Gliscor to mime it out.

"Lead me to it!"

"Gli!"

Gliscor flew ahead of him, then settled on a steady flight speed that would get them there as soon as possible, but still allow Loki to keep up. Loki stopped at a line of bushes, and he cursed as he saw the giant robot with the large red "R".

**Blaze and Lora's POV**

Blaze and Lora leapt back as the ground in front of them exploded, sending fragments of earth in every direction. Lora covered her eyes, while Blaze tried to peer through the dust to see what was attacking them. His eyes widened and he shouted

"Shit, it's Team Rocket again!"

"_What?! But I thought we ditched them!"_

"Yeah, we've thought that before. Hang on tight!" Blaze grabbed Lora and pulled her close, reaching for his crystal. The robot before them made a sudden movement and shot a dart which lodged itself right in the middle of Blaze's clawed hand, making him scream in pain, then glower at the robot. This one was different than before; it had a rectangular body with multiple arms coming out of each side, wielding nets and tranquilizers. Blaze felt no effect other than pain from the dart embedded in his hand, so he figured it wasn't a tranquilizer. He cursed and jumped back, exhaling fire as a net flew out from the robot, incinerating it.

He alighted on the ground and watched as Lora fired a Psychic at the robot, causing no damage. A voice rang out on some loudspeakers that rose out of the top of the robot, and a feminine voice said

"Forget it, traitor! This baby is proofed against anything you can fire at it!"

"But not against anything _I've _got, I bet! Golurk, use Earth Power!"

The robot turned in time to see an ancient, hulking blue monolith slam its fist into the ground, creating small pillars of rising earth in the direction of the robot, until the attack connected, making the largest pillar and knocking the mechanical giant fall over. Several of the arms began pushing itself up, but Loki called

"Ice Beam, freeze those arms!"

The Golurk Raised it hands and charged an ice-blue ball in between them. Then it fired an icy beam at the robot, moving it around for full coverage. Soon all the arms were frozen, and Blaze went in, his uninjured hand glowing white. He jumped and swung it down, breaking off one of the arms. He repeated this process until the robot was completely limbless, at which point the driver began cursing. Inside, she pressed some buttons and pulled a lever, then tugged on the straps of her seat.

A hatch on the robot opened up and ejected the grunt, sending her flying off to who-knows-where. The remainder of the robot began beeping rapidly, and suddenly exploded, making Blaze, Lora, Loki, and Golurk fly back. When the noise and dust had settled, Loki returned Golurk, then ran over to Lora, helping her up. She looked at him briefly, and her eyes widened.

"_Loki?! What are you doing here?!"_ Loki shook his head and said

"There's no time to explain; we should grab your friend and get out of here. There could be more grunts on their way as we speak."

Lora hesitated for a second, then nodded in agreement. They ran over to Blaze, who had thankfully been knocked unconscious since his arm was now broken and bent at an awkward angle. Loki winced and Lora paled, then she shook her head and hurried to grab the necklace, motioning for Loki to join them on the spur of the moment. As soon as he reached her, she grabbed him. Keeping the crystal in her right hand, which she used to grab Blaze, she activated the crystal's power and teleported them as far away as they could get.

After a brief flash of light, the three figures settled on the rough ground, and Loki searched the area around them to pinpoint their location while Lora caught her breath, then tried to rouse Blaze. Loki stopped her and said

"Don't. It's better he remain unconscious right now. We should get him to a Center-"

"_We can't do that!" _ Lora shouted. Loki frowned and asked

"Why not? You're friend's in trouble, and he'll be in pain when he wakes up. You would condemn him to have that broken arm?" Lora shook her head and told him

"_No, it's not that; I know how to fix broken bones, and the Center's personnel ask too many questions. We'd be found in minutes. Do you have any spare bandages I could use?"_

Loki nodded and brought out his pack, handing over a large roll of sterile bandaging . Lora immediately set to work, using her psychic powers to set the bone, then keeping it in place as she wrapped the limb up. It wasn't much, but it was the best she could do given the situation. Loki frowned at the attempt, but there was nothing he could say to convince her otherwise.

Once he gave up, he looked around again. The sun was almost a quarter of the way to the horizon, indicating it was almost evening. He searched over the mostly barren landscape and wondered where they were. He began to walk around a bit, checking over some of the larger rocks. Soon he came to a drop-off, revealing the deep blue ocean beneath him. He frowned and looked back and noticed a mountain-like structure further in, close to where they had appeared.

He looked around, taking out his mini-binoculars, and once he assessed their location, he traveled back to Lora and asked her

"How did we get all the way out to Cinnabar Island?" Lora looked up at him and asked

"_Is that where we are right now?" _Loki nodded and brought out his map of the region, then opened it up and set it out, pointing out Cinnabar's location, tracing it from Celadon.

"We were here-" he said, his finger on the route below Celadon, then tracing the finger along the map in a beeline for the small corner island he believed they were on now; "and now we're here. That's a pretty big distance, and even a strong Alakazam would have difficulty traveling that kind of distance. How did you do it so quickly?"

Lora held up the crystal that Blaze wore and responded

"_This is a teleportation crystal. It is created with psychic power and fueled by it as well. When it has psychic energy in it, it allows the user to teleport a certain distance, depending how much is in there. It's filled to the maximum, but I really just combined it with my own teleportation powers to get us as far away as we could get."_

Loki's eyes widened with this explanation, and he said

"Wow… that's some crazy stuff. Well, we're safe here in Cinnabar since the recent volcanic eruption left this island uninhabited, meaning we should be able to recover here." Lora breathed a sigh of relief and said

"_Good. Now we just wait for Blaze to recover, and we can keep going."_

Loki hesitated for a moment, then said

"I might be able to help you again." Lora raised an eyebrow and asked

"_Oh? How?"_

"Okay, I've been following you and your friend since you left the city. I was concerned, and I prefer to help people out if there's a chance to. During the day, I sent out my Gliscor to keep a bird's-eye view of you, and followed the path you took. Gliscor overheard your conversation about leaving the region."

Lora's eyes were reasonably furious, and she asked

"_Why would you spy on us like that? I'm rather angry now, so you better have a good reason."_ Loki shrugged and replied

"Only to help others. Sorry I did it, but I think I know how I might be able to help." Lora didn't reply, seeing as she was angry with him right now. He brought out four more maps and spread them out, each depicting a different region. He began narrating possibilities, telling her

"Okay, you want to leave Kanto, and there are four other regions. Since Johto and Kanto are basically locked together, I suggest you avoid going there. I also strongly warn you against Sinnoh. I recently heard that Team Rocket was trying to do something there, so…"

He pulled three of the maps, Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh, away, leaving the Hoenn and Unova maps. He began with Hoenn and said

"The Hoenn region isn't a very big stronghold for Team Rocket; they barely ever go there since they have no business there." Lora shook her head and replied

"_They've been there before; in fact, it's where they kidnapped me. I don't want to take the risk." _Loki nodded and said

"Okay the, your last option is Unova. It's quite out there, and I don't have reason to believe that Team Rocket's staking any claims there." He placed a hand to his chin in thought, then said musingly

"If I remember right, I have a buddy that recently moved over there. He might be able to help you out a bit, but he's not quite as… charitable, as I am. Anyway, you might even be able to settle down there, if that's what you want." Lora blushed and quickly said

"_We're not together like that. He… needed a mother figure, and I was brought in to fill that role."_

"I understand. In that case, you might be able to find a place to set down in, since some places employ pokemon." He looked over at Blaze and asked quietly

"By the way, what is he? He looks half-human, half-Blaziken." Lora sighed and said

"_That's what he is." _Then she went into further detail what Team Rocket had done, and with each sentence she spoke, Loki's disgust grew. He knew Team Rocket was a bunch of scumbags, but he hadn't realized how severe the issue was. He shook his head at the end of Lora's narration, and he said

"Alright, tell you what; let me make a call to my friend in Unova tomorrow, and I'll see what we can do in the lines of getting you over there. You should be safe from them, but I can't make any guarantees. But I certainly hope so." Lora nodded and said

"_Thank you, Loki. If you can provide us with a safe haven, you will have made Blaze's lifelong dream that much closer to reality."_

Loki nodded and stood, saying

"We should rest up for the night. We'll have a busy day ahead of us, and I plan to make full use of it."

Lora nodded and went to retrieve the sleeping bags he had bought for her, making sure Blaze was comfortably inside on. The tents would attract too much attention, so she decided to leave them alone. Soon enough, everybody was asleep, with Lora contemplating a free life and Loki trying to figure out how best to explain the situation.

**Okay, plot continuation completed! Now all I have to do is follow through with it. Tell me what you think so far.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Inferno, Chapter 9**

**Hey everybody, sorry for the wait. Life has a way of kicking you when you least expect it. Be that as it may, I plan to make this as exciting as I can, or at least set this story up for some excitement. With that in mind, let's begin.**

A Cry For Help

Lora woke up, with Blaze sleeping soundly next to her. She checked his arm and smiled; due to the nature of the experimentation, he healed at a much faster than normal rate, and as long as the bone was set properly into place, it would be like it never happened in the first place. She breathed a sigh of relief, then stretched lightly and exited the tent, making sure not to disturb Blaze.

Outside she stretched properly and spotted Loki already making breakfast with his own provisions. He looked up at her and said

"Good morning. How is your friend?" Lora smiled and responded

"_All he needs is a bit of rest. Due to Team Rocket's experimenting, he heals faster than most living things. As long as the bone is set back in its proper place, which it has been, it will heal in a matter of days."_

Loki nodded and said

"That's good to hear. I can't say I'm surprised that such a thing could occur, given the atrocities often committed by Team Rocket. But we should be fairly safe out here, at least until we make the journey to get you two to Unova. I have to speak with my friend before we try though; I have to know if I can rely on his help or if I'm on my own. I hope to have some help, but I'll prepare for the worst."

Lora eyed him with concern and asked

"_What would be the worst?" _Loki shrugged and said

"I have to do everything and can't secure a two-way secret stream. That ensures that even if they get hold of one of us, they can't get everything." Lora frowned and pointed out

"_But I told you everything."_

Loki nodded and said

"Maybe, but I have an unbreakable will. Don't worry, your secrets are safe with me, but I need to give my friend some information. He's the kind of guy who doesn't do anything without a good reason. Unfortunately, that extends to helping others. That's where the two of us differ really; I'll help anyone when they need it, but he won't unless it's in his best interest. Chances are he'll turn you down, but he might, just might, decide to help us."

Lora frowned and said

_I don't like the sound of this character too much. It seems like, if it was in his best interest, he could easily betray us."_ Loki thought for a moment, then shook his head and replied

"He might be a bit of a jerk, but he's not a traitor. Besides, if nothing else, he needs to know that I plan to be in town for a while." This made Lora raise an eyebrow and ask

"_You intend to come with us?"_

"Well, you need some sort of protection, or at least a guide. After all, you don't know the Unova region very well, do you?" Lora slumped and replied

"_I don't even know the Kanto region very well. That's made it difficult to truly escape since we don't where we're going."_ Loki nodded and said

"I understand. I'll try and get you familiarized with Unova's borders and such; that way, if you need to make a daring escape, you can do so safely." Lora fidgeted and asked

"_Will this require reading?"_ Loki eyed her suspiciously and asked

"Why would you ask that?" Lora fidgeted again and told him

"_Because Team Rocket was worried the mothering units might leak secrets in some way, perhaps a message in a bottle or something, we were kept illiterate. We can speak quite well, but we are forbidden to read, at the penalty of torture. They would call it punishment, but that never fooled anyone."_

Loki thought about this for a moment, then said

"Well, it doesn't really require any reading from you, but if you don't possess the ability, then you won't get very far in the lines of employment. Many jobs nowadays require the ability to read. I'll try and teach you while we wait for your friend's arm to completely heal." Lora nodded and sat opposite the fire from him. Loki handed her some of the breakfast he had prepared for them all. She couldn't identify it, but it didn't matter much since none of it looked like meat.

Once breakfast was finished, Loki began to get ready to teach Lora how to become literate. He brought out a small pack of paper and some writing utensils. Then he laid out one sheet of the paper and handed a pencil to Lora. It was a little more awkward for her to hold onto the pencil than him, both because of her anatomy and lack of writing skills. However, she refused to give up because of that, which gratified Loki. He began to draw out some rues of the language he spoke, and when he finished, he set it in front of her and began to say

"This is in English. It is the alphabet for the language, consisted of twenty-six letters and an almost infinite amount of punctuation. I'll get into that later. For now, I want you to copy out each letter, in both capitalized and lower-cased form. After each one, I'll explain what it is, and anything significant about it."

For the next couple of hours, Lora went over the alphabet, learning about the sounds of the letters, how they could be changed, and how they were placed together to create new words, and how the words worked together to create a legible sentence. It was all very confusing, but Lora found the exercise both challenging and exhilarating. Once she began to make sense of it, Loki began to quiz her on the variety of sounds that could be made.

At some point, Blaze woke up and walked out of the tent to find them sitting close to each other, both bent over something. Curious and wary, Blaze cautiously approached them and asked

"What's going on?" They both turned to him and Lora answered

"_Loki's teaching me how to become literate. I should be able to do this so we can make a better-planned escape next time, if indeed we need one." _Blaze thought it over for a second, then said

"I don't mind the idea, but are you sure we can trust this guy?" Lora cocked her head and asked

"_What do you mean?"_ Blaze scoffed and said

"I know he wasn't just a random trainer in the woods. This guy was obviously tracking us, and well, too. That means he has experience hunting people down, and I don't know if I can trust anybody like that."

Loki's eyebrows were raised in surprise that this hybrid had deduced him so well. Lora came to his defense by saying

"_I know he seems suspicious, but he's the one who bought these supplies and didn't ask anything in return. And he saved us yesterday from that Rocket grunt. By the way, how's your hand?"_ Blaze held up the hand that had been run through with a dart and showed her that the hole had sealed up and he could move his hand without any impediments. Loki presented him with leftovers from breakfast, which he accepted, but cautiously.

He sat across from them around the pit that once held the fire, put out for lack of necessity. While he ate, he watched Loki teach Lora the English language, and although he wouldn't admit it, he was rather interested himself in being able to read what a lot of the signs said that he often passed by. Lora felt his curiosity, but decided not to address it. Around midday, Loki rose and stretched, then told Lora

"Keep studying; I'm going to go contact my friend and see what our position will look like." Lora nodded and continued to look over the alphabet, which she was starting to get the hang of, startling Loki. She was taking to it much faster than he anticipated. Now she was starting to form words. Of course, her handwriting was quite sloppy, but considering she was making somewhat legible words on her first day of learning, it was quite an achievement.

Meanwhile, Loki walked for about ten minutes before he walked into the Pokemon Center that had been volcano-proofed ahead of the eruption.

"Hello, welcome to our pokemon center! How may I help you?" asked the bubbly, pink-haired nurse that always resided behind the counters of the Pokemon Centers. Loki passed up some of his pokemon and said

"I need to get these pokemon healed, and I also need to use the videophone." The nurse nodded and took his pokeballs, setting them on a tray, then taking them into a back room. Loki went over to the part of the Pokemon Center that housed the videophones. He typed in the number of his friend and hit the "call" button. Hopefully he would home today and be able to answer his call. After a few rings, the screen lit up, revealing a boy slightly older than himself who, like him, had black hair. The rest of him was obscured by the fact that the screen wasn't very big. Ignoring that, Loki said

"Yo, Nicholai, how's it goin'?" The boy, Nicholai, dipped his head in acknowledgement and said, in a slight accent that hinted Russian

"Hello, Loki. It has been a while since we last spoke, my friend. What can I do for you on this fine day?" Loki dipped his head and replied

"I have a favor to ask you." Nicholai grunted but didn't say anything, prompting Loki to continue.

"I've come across these two defectors from Team Rocket." Before he could say anything else, he could see as Nicholai's neck tendons and veins bulged, and he growled

"Team Rocket… those bastards are still in power, then?" Loki nodded grimly and said

"Unfortunately. Anyway, I've found these two defectors, and they're… well, a bit strange." Nicholai raised an eyebrow ad asked

"In what way?" Loki looked around him but saw no one, not even the nurse. He faced the screen again and whispered

"One of them is a Blaziken/human hybrid. The other's a Gardevoir who was tasked with raising him. After some time, they decided to make a break for it, and now Team Rocket is hunting them. They can't get very far here since Kanto is where Team Rocket is strongest. So they're planning to flee the region. I discussed their options, and they settled on Unova." Nicholai's head lifted in understanding, and he said

"Ah, I see now. And you wish for me to help them settle here." It wasn't a question, but Loki nodded anyway. Then Nicholai said

"I will do it, if only because I despise Team Rocket. It sounds like this hybrid is important to them if they are hunting him, and to bring him to a land where their influence is minimal will no doubt strike a blow to them. However, I cannot guarantee they will not come here if indeed he is important to them." Loki nodded and said

"I understand, but we should do what we can for them." Nicholai nodded and asked

"How do you plan to move them to here?" Loki scratched the back of his head and said nervously

"Actually, I was hoping you would have some ideas." Nicholai pinched the bridge of his nose and spoke in Russian.

"Vy povtorno idiotom. Fine, let me think." Loki held his tongue as Nicholai began to write some stuff down on a paper he apparently had with him. Then he raised his head and said

"Okay, first we must eliminate all forms of transportation that will not work for you." Loki sweatdropped and asked

"Is that really necessary?" Nicholai fixed him with a stern gaze and said

"You wish for me to help you?" Loki nodded nervously, to which Nicholai responded

"Then we do things my way. Now then, for obvious reasons, bicycles, cars, buses, and trains are closed to you since they do not have the ability to traverse over the ocean. That leaves you with either aircraft or seacraft. Which would you prefer?" Loki went over the options and said

"That's a difficult choice to make. We're trying to keep all forms of stealth here, and I don't think either one offers much of it." Nicholai scoffed and said

"I am not telling you to get them first-class tickets, just get them on the plane or boat to Unova. Chances are they would prefer to hide in the cargo bay of either anyway. I know I would." Loki laughed, simply because he found it funny. But when he looked back at the screen and saw that Nicholai's expression hadn't changed, he asked

"You're serious?" Nicholai nodded, and Loki said sarcastically

"Look, I'm all for crappy living conditions, but I don't think they'd be too agreeable to that." Nicholai smirked and said

"Humor, how delightful. Now then, we are agreed that they will either take a boat or a plane to Unova. Either you make the decision for them or ask their opinions. I must leave for now, but I will be available tomorrow. Try to contact me early." Loki nodded and ended the conversation. When he stood, the nurse came out of the back room and told him

"Thank you for waiting, your pokemon have been restored to full health." Loki took his pokeballs off the tray and thanked the nurse for her help, to which she bowed and said

"Anytime! We hope to see you again soon!"

Loki walked outside and angled for the temporary camp he had set up for Lora's and Blaze's benefit. When he got back, he found Lora explaining some of what she was learning to Blaze, who seemed interested in it. Blaze looked up at him and scowled. Loki sighed in disappointment. He was the kind of guy who loved to help whoever he could, but if he couldn't gain their favor, then that became much harder. He sat down and Lora asked

"_So, how did it go?"_ Loki grinned and said

"He's willing to help you escape Team Rocket, but we need to go over how we're going to get you to Unova." Lora nodded and asked

"_Do you have any ideas yet?" _Loki huffed and responded

"Well, the only modes of transportation we can use to get you there in a reasonable amount of time is either a ship or a plane. Which would you prefer?" Blaze looked up and asked

"Which one would be the stealthiest?" Loki thought for a moment, then answered

"Probably a ship." Then Lora asked

"_Which would be faster?"_ Loki slumped and said

"Definitely the plane." Blaze and Lora looked at each other, then began to debate.

"Stealth should be the way to go. That way we don't get found in the first place and no one's the wiser."

"_But if we opt for speed, then stealth doesn't become as big an issue. Once we arrive, we can employ stealth to throw off any trackers we might have."_

"But if we employ stealth in the first place, then chances are we won't even have any trackers."

"_But that's still relying on chance, which hasn't worked out very well for us. And if we do have trackers on the ship, it will be that much harder to avoid them because we will be so limited on space. And while a plane has less space, it also means they wouldn't attempt anything because everyone would see. Besides, it might cause you to go ballistic, which would kill us all, and Team Rocket wants you alive."_

Loki sweatdropped and said

"That's not very encouraging or optimistic." Lora turned to him and said

"_But it is realistic, and right now we have to be that way. Unease is to be expected, but we must acknowledge everything in order to make the best decision." _Loki hesitated, then said

"All right, if that's the case, then you both choose to go by plane?" Blaze hung his head and said

"I don't like it, but I guess Lora has a good point. Besides," he said, raising his head again "the sooner we get there, the sooner we get away from Team Rocket, right?" Loki hesitated again, and he told Blaze

"Well, I can't guarantee that. If you're really as important to them as it sounds, then I believe they would look for you in every region. However, Unova is safest because their influence isn't as big there, and it's the furthest region away from Kanto and Johto. Otherwise, I would really suggest Hoenn." Lora took out a map Loki had left behind and asked

"_What about this one? The region known as… Orre?"_ Lora was still trying to read, but given some of the basics of the English language, it wasn't unduly hard to pronounce the simple word. Loki shook his head and told her

"No, you don't want that one. It's notorious for its criminal syndicates. Most everyone who comes from there are like hardened criminals. They make excellent trainers, if they don't deviate from the lines of morality, but they can have a tendency to overdo it a bit when it comes to traveling to other regions."

Lora cocked her head in confusion and asked

"_What do you mean by that?" _Loki sighed and replied

"They don't have an official Pokemon League like the rest of the regions do, so the rules of battle are a bit… laxed over there. I don't know much else, but I know you don't want to head there." Lora nodded and said

"_All right; I'll take your word for it."_

For the rest of the day, Loki continued to teach Lora how to properly read and write in English, Blaze gradually coming into the picture. Then they broke off to eat and soon after retire for the night.

**Okay, that's the end of this chapter. Tell me what you think of it so far!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Inferno, Chapter 10**

**Alright, I think you've been waiting for this eagerly. Allow me to set that eagerness aside for now with this new chapter. **

A Plan In The Making

Lora and Blaze woke up at the same time, both yawning widely. Blaze stretched his left arm, but his right arm, the broken one, was still a bit sore for his liking. So he left that alone. They exited the tent and grabbed some breakfast, courtesy of Loki. Blaze was loathe to accept help from anyone but Lora, but she insisted that he give Loki a chance.

Soon after breakfast, Loki told Lora to keep studying English while he went to make his call. After he had left, Blaze turned to Lora and said

"Let's go, while we have the chance." Lora stared at him agape, and she said

"_Are you crazy?! We finally find someone who's willing to help us escape the clutches of Team Rocket, and you want to ditch him and stay in a region that will surely condemn you?!"_

Blaze was getting irritated, a fact not lost on Lora, and he was fueled with the stress of bottling his emotions.

"I still don't trust that guy! What if he's setting us up for a trap? What then, huh?!" Lora threw her hands into the air in frustration and said

"_I don't believe this! We find one human who's good, one who has done nothing to harm you in any way whatsoever, and you're practically spitting in his face!" _Blaze scowled and stated

"All humans are greedy scumbags." Lora pointed accusingly at Blaze and said

"_You're part human! What of you? Are you as greedy as the rest of them, then?" _Blaze jumped up and glowered at her, making her quail momentarily, and he said

"If the desire for freedom and safety is being greedy, then yes, I am the greediest being that could be found on this planet." He stalked away then, and jumped as hard as he could to reach the point of a mountain. He climbed to the other side and began to seek solitude. Lora's eyes dropped to the ground in shame and sadness, and she asked herself

"_Why did he have to be the one to suffer all of this?"_

**At the Pokemon Center…**

Loki walked in and was greeted by the nurse once again, asking if she could help. Loki put on a convincing smile, nothing drastic, and said

"I just need to use the videophone." The nurse nodded, then picked up a magazine and began reading. Loki discreetly rolled his eyes, then walked over to the videophones. He plugged in the number and hit "call". After a couple of rings, Nicholai picked up. He grinned when he saw Loki and said

"Good day, idiotom. I assume you have a better plan in mind now, no?" Loki frowned and said

"I may not be able to understand Russian, but that's not hard to translate. I can do without the insults, thank you." Nicholai grunted and asked

"So, you have asked their opinions?" Loki nodded, and Nicholai asked

"And what did they say?" Loki responded

"They want to take an aircraft. The Gardevoir reasoned that speed was the route to take, but the hybrid insisted on employing stealth." Nicholai frowned and asked

"This hybrid, what does he look like, then?" Loki frowned and said

"Well, from a distance, he's pretty easy to mistake for a somewhat undersized Blaziken. Up close though, his human traits are pretty obvious." Nicholai thought for a moment, then asked

"Would it be possible to store him inside a pokeball? We could perform a wireless transfer and avoid the whole stealth issue. Team Rocket will be none the wiser." Loki frowned and said

"Well, I have my doubts, but I suppose it could be possible. I'll ask when I get back, but I assume he wouldn't go for it." Nicholai nodded and responded

"This is understandable. Chances are he has too much human blood within him for the pokeball to be successful anyway. We shall plan for the aircraft scenario, but we should keep an open mind about the pokeball, unless of course it will not work." Loki nodded and told him

"I'll ask upon my return. In the meantime, what should we do to disguise him so he doesn't attract unwarranted attention?" Nicholai paused, then said

"Without being able to see the individual features that make this hybrid up, I cannot fathom what needs to be done to disguise him. You must send me a picture, then we may discuss further details." Loki shook his head and said

"Oh boy, he really won't like that." Nicholai grinned and said

"Tell him it is for his own well-being. Perhaps that will convince him." Loki shrugged, then asked

"Are you busy at all today?" Nicholai shook his head and replied

"No, today I have off." Loki then nodded and said

"Alright, I'll get the picture as fast as I can and be back soon. Hopefully without third degree burns." Nicholai grinned and said before he signed off

"Best of luck to you, tovarishch." Then the screen went black. Loki sighed as he got up, telling the nurse, who was still reading her magazine

"I'll be right back." She nodded absently and Loki left the building. Loki sped-walked back to the camp, only to find that Blaze had left. He looked toward Lora and asked worriedly

"Where did Blaze go?" Lora looked up at him forlornly and stated

"_We had an argument, so he left to cool down for a while."_ Loki slapped his knee and said

"Damn it! Can you call him back? We kind of need him right now." Lora raised an eyebrow and asked

"_Why?" _Loki took a deep breath and said

"My friend and I are trying to figure out the best ways to get you both to Unova that fastest, stealthiest way possible, but being able to do both isn't quite easy. I need to speak with him and get some answers, as well as a photo." Lora's eyes widened and she said

"_Oh no, a photo is a bad idea! He absolutely hates them!" _Loki sighed and muttered

"I figured as much." Raising his voice, he said

"Well, if I don't give my buddy a way to determine what we need to hide and how, then we can't go through with this. We thought of one other method that would prove faster and stealthier than a plane, but only if it works."

"_And that would be?"_

"Pokemon transfer. Essentially, I put him in a pokeball and send him wirelessly to my friend. In less than five minutes, he's in Unova. But the only way that will work is if; One, he consents to remain in a pokeball. Two, he can be put IN the pokeball in the first place." Lora placed her head in her hands and she moaned

"_It's good he wasn't here when you suggested that; nothing more than ashes would have been left of you." _Loki grumbled, then said

"Okay, I didn't really believe that idea was going to work anyway. But the photo is unavoidable. I need to help my friend help us. Does that make sense?" Lora nodded and Loki said

"Okay then, call your friend back and I'll explain the situation to him."

Lora hesitated for a moment, then looked over to a mountain on their right and sat like that for about a minute. Then she turned back to Loki and told him

"_He's on his way, but expect him to be in a foul mood."_

"Wonderful…" mumbled Loki.

Five minutes later, Blaze returned in a state of high displeasure, and the sight of Loki did nothing to mitigate it.

"Hello, how are you?" Loki ventured out. Blaze responded brusquely

"Lousy. Now get to the point." Loki winced and moved straight into business mode.

"Alright. My friend and I have come up with two options that will get you to Unova. Both of them will get you there, but each one will require you to do something you might not like." Blaze growled and said

"Figures. Well, if it gets me away from Team Rocket, then I guess I'm game. What do I need to do?" Loki prepared himself to deliver news he was sure would get him killed.

"Okay, now please don't kill me, but my friend thought of one method which I didn't consider before. It would be the fastest and safest route to Unova, but it will only work based on one thing." Blaze narrowed his eyes suspiciously and asked

"And what would that be?" Loki gulped nervously and began to explain.

"Okay, it's called Wireless Transfer. How it works is, I take you inside a pokeball-" Blaze rushed up to him, gripped his shoulder, and whispered in his ear

"Finish that sentence, and I'll crush your balls." Loki immediately shut up, quite happy to have his manhood fully intact. Blaze released him and said

"Not a chance in hell. Besides, those damn things don't work on me." Loki took a relieved sigh and shakily said

"Okay, then that leaves only one other option."

"And what could _that_ be?"

"We take the plane as planned. But I need to send a photo of you to my friend so he can best advise how to disguise you so as not to raise suspicion. Besides, he'll need it to create a fake passport for you." Lora cocked her head and asked

"_What's a passport?" _Loki sighed and explained

"A passport is a legal document of sorts that states that a person can travel out of their region and into another, with the full understanding that they will succumb to the entering region's rules and regulations." Lora nodded in understanding, but Loki had a feeling she was faking it. Then he directed his attention back to Blaze and said

"So, what'll it be? If you really want out of here, it's going to require some sacrifice on your part." Blaze was looking around, making up his mind. Finally he growled

"Fine. But let me warn you right now-" Blaze stepped up to him again and threatened

"If I see that picture anywhere else but a passport, whatever the hell that is, Hell's fire will be the element to cool you down when I'm done with you." Loki shivered and said

"Duly noted. Now then, let's get this over with and the show on the road." Blaze walked a certain distance and simply stood there. Loki aimed the camera at him and asked

"Can you put your arms down, please?" Blaze growled but complied, uncrossing his arms. Loki took the photo and said

"Thanks. I'll be back in a while, and I promise I'll have a way to get you guys safely to Unova."

He immediately walked in the direction of the Pokemon Center, and Blaze stood there for a moment. Then he addressed Lora, saying

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that." Lora looked at him with concern and said

"_You know, you shouldn't bottle up your emotions like that. It can be dangerous for your health."_ Blaze took a deep, calming breath, then said

"I'm dealing with it the best way I know how. I promise I'll get over it soon. Don't worry about me." Before Lora could respond, he walked off again. Lora watched him with apprehension, not sure where this new road would lead him.

Meanwhile, Loki walked back into the Pokemon Center, the nurse still reading her magazine. She looked up, and upon seeing him she said tiredly

"Welcome to the Cinnabar blah blah, blah blah blah. You know what you want." Loki smirked, then headed over to the videophones and put in Nicholai's number again. After the first ring, he picked up, and Nicholai asked

"You do not have third degree burns. I assume this means you did not get the photo." He was grinning now. Loki grunted and said

"I got the picture, but I nearly lost my balls thanks to your Wireless Transfer suggestion. He did not take kindly to it. You better make sure this picture only winds up on a passport." Nicholai nodded and said

"Worry not, comrade. I shall take care of it. Now, where is the picture?" Loki nodded and told him

"Give me a minute." He took a cord and hooked it up to the machine, then chose the photo he had taken of Blaze. He sent that over, and in a moment, Nicholai printed out the picture. He scrutinized it for a moment, then he sighed and shook his head, saying

"I pity this hybrid. He must have suffered much at the hands of those criminals. At any rate, most of this will be easy to cover. The claws can be placed in pockets, but wrap them up for precaution. As for how to hide the horns… I am afraid to say I don't have many ideas regarding how to cover them. The receptionist will demand to see his face."

Loki waited with baited breath while Nicholai began pondering. Then he snapped his fingers and said

"Aha! A genius I am! Tie string around his head, behind base of horns, then claim it to be a trinket of some sort." Loki sighed in relief; at least it was something.

"When can you have that passport ready?" Nicholai nodded and said

"I shall send it to you tomorrow. Do not bother me until then. Do svidaniya." Loki nodded and signed off, then waved off the nurse, who did the same without looking up from her magazine. Loki rolled his eyes and walked out.

**Okay, that about wraps that up! What do you think? Let me know soon!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Inferno, Chapter 11**

**Okay, gang, EmeraldDragon1 is back with another chapter. And since my popularity is on the rise, I've decided I can take things another step, with galladefenrir44 as my guide. For the time being, I don't have any, but in the near future, I'm going to start doing spotlights, which means I will recommend a story by a certain author, likely one of the authors that reads a certain story, or short of that, a story that I have found interest in. I will also be showing the ratings of this story (on this one only) in order of greatest to least. In short, it will look like this after the author's notes; **_**Story spotlight; N/A at this time. Ratings; 1**__**st**__**) US, 2**__**nd**__**) Australia, 3**__**rd**__**) UK, 4**__**th**__**) Mexico, 5**__**th**__**) Barbados.**_

The Beginnings Of A Scheme

It was halfway between morning and noon. Blaze's arm was fully healed now, and Nicholai had managed to undermine the system (Arceus knows how) and send a more-or-less official passport for Blaze. For the time, he would be assuming the name Joe Ramirez. Now all they had to do was perfect his disguise, then wait for the next plane to Unova.

Loki had gone to the Johto region, more specifically the Goldenrod Department store, where he could hopefully find clothes in the right size that would serve to cover up Blaze effectively. Luckily, it was around winter, so a hooded sweatshirt was not out of the question. Loki had tried to be compromising, asking if there was a specific color he would like, but he hadn't been forthcoming. So Loki told him he would just go with a simple black, to which Blaze just shrugged and responded

"Whatever." The memory still frustrated Loki, but now was not the time to reflect on that. It was imperative he get this done, and quickly too. When he arrived, he aimed directly for the massive building, aiming at the men's clothing aisle. In due time, he found a plain black, hooded sweatshirt with one large front pocket. This would do well to cover his hands, which would also be bound in trainer's tape to conceal his claws. String he already had, but he either had to gain Blaze's trust or have Lora do it. Figuring the former would be near impossible, he opted for the latter and left the string behind with them.

Next he searched for pants, and he soon found a passable size set of jeans. Figuring nothing else was necessary, he soon went to the counter and made his purchase with little trouble. He walked back to the train station, keeping his senses vigilant. When he got back on the train, he relaxed, knowing it would only be a matter of hours before everything came together.

**Cinnabar Island**

Lora was having a difficult time getting the string around Blaze's head. Part of it was winding it behind his horns; most of the problem, however, came from Blaze himself.

"Dammit, I don't like that! It clinches too tightly around my head, and that makes me dizzy!"

"_Well maybe if you would stop struggling so much, I wouldn't have to tighten it so hard!"_

Blaze could only growl in frustration as he attempted to hold still, just to give Lora the benefit of the doubt. At long last, the string was tied around Blaze's head, just behind his horns, making it look like they could have been an odd trinket. And while Blaze's actual age was acceptable, to an extent, for things like this, his deceptive size made him seem more like a young adult, which made the practice rather odd. Nevertheless, the horns couldn't have been removed, and if they had done nothing it would only attract unwanted attention.

"_There, how does that feel?" _Lora asked him, taking a step back. He turned to her and shrugged, saying

"I guess it's okay. How does it look?" Lora brought out a small mirror she had found lying around a while back during their travels and gave it to him to inspect for himself.

"_It's rather convincing, I think."_ Blaze checked the placement of the string, and after having looked at it from several angles, he snorted and said

"It's not in the wrong place, but people still won't buy it. I just know there will be spies at the airports, no matter where we go. We would do so much better stealth-wise if we went with a boat."

"_But like I said before, we'll be trapped if we get spotted on a ship. They can't do anything on a plane, especially not a small one We won't be going first-class you know." _Blaze snorted and asked

"Is that something you learned from the human?" Lora frowned and replied

"_He has a name, you know, and it would be more considerate to use it." _Blaze retaliated

"And since when has courtesy to humans been a priority for me?"

"_You weren't this rude to Marie and June." _

"They weren't stalking us to find out what we were up to, or trying to sell us out to Team Rocket." Lora hesitated, then said softly

"_I know you have a low opinion of humans, but can't you try to make peace with Loki? For me?" _Blaze crossed his arms for a minute, looking disgruntled. Then he huffed and uncrossed them again, and when he responded, he said

"Fine, for you, I'll try to get along with him." Lora felt relieved as she said

"_Thank you, Blaze." _The hybrid grunted, then said threateningly

"But make no mistake; if he makes one move backwards, his life is forfeit." Lora gulped, then said shakily

"_Alright, I'll explain that to him." _Blaze just nodded, then went to untie the string, which was still uncomfortable to him. About half an hour later, Loki arrived on his Gliscor, carrying a large bag with the words "Goldenrod Dept. Store", which Lora, to her delight, could read, though with some difficulty. Loki approached and said

"All right, I've got the clothes you'll need Blaze. You should try them on and make sure they fit." Blaze walked up to him, taking the bag gently, hesitating for a moment, then said to Loki directly

"Thanks." Loki's eyebrows rose in surprise, but after a moment's hesitation, he replied

"You're welcome." Blaze went to his and Lora's tent to change, and Loki addressed Lora silently, asking

"What got into him?" Lora giggled briefly before saying

"_I did. I managed to convince him to give you a chance, but you need to tread lightly. He said if you make one move backwards, your life is forfeit." _Loki shivered at the significance of the threat, and he asked

"He wouldn't really do that, would he?" Lora hesitated, then sighed and said

"_I'm not sure anymore. Since that tragic night I left him for a week and he killed a Rocket grunt in self-defense, he hasn't been the same. The problem is, he refuses to believe he needs help. But please don't mention that I told you this." _Loki made a zipping motion over his lips with his hand, then said

"Your secret's safe with me."

After about half a minute, Blaze walked out of the tent, asking

"How do I look?" In the sweatshirt and Jeans, which appeared to be slightly swollen, he didn't look anything like the hybrid Team Rocket was hunting down, with the exception of his claws and horns. Loki observed him, then said

"Stick your hands into the pocket on the front." Blaze complied, and Loki clapped his hands, saying

"Perfect! Now the only giveaway is your horns. Did you guys manage to fix that problem?" Lora smirked and replied

"_After he stopped struggling, yes." _Blaze said nothing in response, but Loki had no doubt he was a bit irritated. Loki paused a moment, then asked

"What happened to those jeans? I thought I got them in the right size." Blaze hesitated, then said

"Well, if push came to shove, I wanted to be able to use my fire moves without turning out naked, so I'm keeping my clothes on under these." Loki frowned, then shrugged and said

"Well, if that's what's comfortable for you, then far be it from me to tell you otherwise. Ideally, though, you won't be using your moves to avoid suspicion, even if we're interrogated." Blaze nodded and replied

"I know; they're just a last resort. So, where do we go from here?" Loki frowned, then placed a hand to his chin in thought.

"Well, we first need to go to Vermillion City and catch a ride to the islands where the Kanto Airport is located." Blaze frowned and asked

"Will this require another set of passports?" Loki shook his head and told him

"No, just yours will suffice. Lora told me she has a pokeball so she could avoid capture while you both traveled. For the design of her safety, and ours as well, she needs to be in it until we get to Unova." Blaze frowned and Loki cut him off before he could complain.

"I know, I know, but we don't have any other choice. On your own you already raise some flags, but if a Gardevoir is traveling outside of her ball, while Team Rocket is searching for both of you, that puts us in direct jeopardy. With you disguised, they can't directly point fingers. Further, if Lora is out of sight, then they lose their only other direct link to you. If nothing else, you can claim you're a beginning trainer and have good friends." Blaze considered the position for a moment, then grunted and turned to Lora, saying

"I'm sorry, but I can't argue with him." Lora shook her head and told him

"_No need to apologize; I was expecting something like that anyway. Thanks to some of the research I was able to get accomplished now that I can read to an extent, I learned that pokemon aren't really accepted on commercial travels anyway. So I would have had to return to the pokeball regardless." _

Blaze sighed in resignation, then turned to Loki and asked

"Alright, when do we leave?" Loki considered this for a few moments, then said

"Well, I don't know about you, but I think we've hung out here long enough. Any longer and chances are Team Rocket will find you two again. With me so far?" Blaze and Lora nodded their heads, and Loki brought out a map. During the course of teaching Lora, and to an extent Blaze, how to read English, he'd also gotten into how to properly read a map. The map was of Kanto, and he placed a finger on Cinnabar Island, their current location.

"We're here, and we want to go-" he moved his finger up and over until it hovered over the port city, Vermillion, "here. Think we can make the trip in one jump?" Lora looked over the map herself, trying to accurately measure out the distance. Then she placed a hand to her chin in thought, finally saying

"_If we want to avoid all forms of suspicion, and I think we do, we want to teleport somewhere inconspicuous. For a journey of this magnitude, I would normally have to combine the energy from the crystal and my own power to get there. But, if I can expand the energy storing properties of the crystal, Blaze can return me to my pokeball and make the jump himself, then have me healed in the Pokemon Center. That would save time in terms of my recovery and how long it would take to revitalize the crystal for emergency purposes. From there it should be smooth sailing."_

Blaze seemed uneasy and asked

"Are you sure about this plan?" Lora turned to him and responded

"_Yes. It will take a while to expand the power of the crystal, but once I do it will be able to hold more energy, which will make for larger distances. It also means I can draw from it and get more out of it if necessary." _Blaze nodded and surrendered the teleportation crystal, asking

"How long will this take?" Lora hesitated, then said

"_Well, under normal circumstances, it would take me about two weeks to double the potential of it, but if we accept to use the Pokemon Center available on this island, my guess is about three days."_ Loki's eyebrows rose and he said

"That's quite a difference. I say we go with it. If it helps us get out of here sooner, then we should accept the short-term risks." Blaze hesitated for a moment, then said to Lora

"Just don't hurt yourself, okay?" Lora smiled and promised, then went back to the tent to begin. Loki and Blaze sat there for a short while in uncomfortable silence, until eventually Blaze took out the pokeball and began to polish it; he wouldn't curse Lora to be trapped in this thing _and _have it dirty. While he did so, Loki tried to strike up a conversation.

"So… things turning out for you so far?" Blaze hesitated. In reality, he wanted to make a cutting remark, but he promised Lora he would give Loki a chance. He took a deep breath, then responded

"I've felt better." Loki frowned, then asked

"Want to get it off your chest?" Blaze didn't hesitate this time as he said, as politely as he could manage,

"Sorry, but it's none of your business." Loki tried to keep his offense back; he really wanted to help, and it was obvious that he needed it. But he refused ostentatiously to get any.

"Look, I know you don't trust me, at all, and I can understand why, but-"

"No," Blaze cut him off "you couldn't hope to understand what I've been through. But it's nobody's business but mine. I'm sorry, but that's how it is." Loki smirked, then said

"No, you're not." Blaze looked at him in confusion and asked

"Sorry?" Loki continued to smirk as he said

"When it comes to something people dislike talking about, and they _say_ they're sorry, nine times out of ten they really aren't." Blaze appeared shocked for a moment, then he himself smirked and said

"Hmph, you're not as gullible as I first took you to be. So tell me, why are you so interested in helping me and Lora? What do you gain from it?" Loki thought for a moment about his answer, then grinned and said

"Nothing but the satisfaction gained from selflessly helping someone out, asking nothing in return." Blaze paused in his act of polishing, and he pointed at Loki and said

"That seems real stupid of you. What if they ask you to do something that goes against your character?" Loki shrugged and replied

"I respectfully decline. I have no wish to aid someone in a crime, no matter what happens to me. If my life is threatened, then I use it to fight until the gruesome end. Hasn't happened yet, the gruesome end, I mean, but it probably will." Blaze smirked and asked

"So you're actually willing to sacrifice your life to help others, just for the satisfaction of the act?" Loki shrugged and said

"That's pretty much it in a nutshell." Blaze paused for a moment, then asked shrewdly

"What if you decide to turn evil?" Loki didn't hesitate as he replied

"I would never do that." Then Blaze asked further

"What if you had no choice?" Loki raised an eyebrow, then said

"We all have a choice; that's what makes us the individuals we are, by making choices and standing by them. My choice was to help others because no one would help me. I had some… issues I had to move past, and although I asked for it, no one would help me. After I managed to get past my problems, I vowed that if anybody needed help, as long as it wasn't illegal or immoral, I would do it." Blaze eyed him intently, then asked, somewhat accusingly

"And you've stood by that ever since? Nothing has challenged your morals or values?"

"Of course it has. But I stridently work to keep both of them in line with my desire. After a couple bumps in the road during the first few months, I managed to straighten it out, and it's worked ever since."

Blaze grunted and returned to polishing the pokeball Lora would be trapped in. He growled as the thought went by, and Loki asked

"What's wrong?" Blaze didn't answer immediately, but eventually he said

"I hate trapping Lora in this damn thing. It makes me wish that pokeballs never existed in the first place." Loki shook his head sadly, then said

"You know, it's not as bad as you think." Blaze snorted in disbelief, and Loki persisted.

"No, I'm serious. The pokemon inside is put in a more or less state of stasis. And while that may not seem too desirable to you, it can potentially save a pokemon's life." Blaze eyed Loki disbelievingly and asked

"How?"

"Well, if a pokemon faints, it is automatically returned to its pokeball. It also cannot be called out while it's fainted. The reason for this is because the potential for greater harm is high, and since no proper trainer wants their pokemon to be subjected to further harm, the rule of thumb for pokeballs is the pokemon its registered for cannot be brought back out if the risk of its health would be compromised by doing so." He paused to give Blaze a moment to think this over. Then he continued

"Further, if a pokemon is harmed outside of battle, for whatever reason, the pokemon can be safely withdrawn into the pokeball and kept in stasis for however long it takes to get to a Pokemon Center to get them healed. The nurses really know what they're doing." Blaze scrunched up his face in dislike, and Loki chuckled, then asked

"Don't care too much for the nurses, I take it?" Blaze shook his head and replied

"Well, they seem to want pokemon to get hurt. I mean, what's up with that line 'We hope to see you again'? It just makes no sense to me." Loki paused, then shrugged and said

"I know what you mean; I just try to not let it bother me. Otherwise I'll never get the issue out of my head."

Blaze grunted and kept polishing the pokeball. Loki thought for a moment, then said

"You know, there are a variety of pokeballs out there, some of which offer what some people might consider better accommodations than others." Blaze raised an eyebrow and asked

"Oh? Like what?" Loki thought again, and after a moment he replied

"Well, there's the most prominent of them, the Luxury Ball. It's actually pretty weak, but if it works, the pokemon will become friendlier toward its trainer. It's said to have a more luxurious feel to it than most other pokeballs, hence the name." Blaze looked down at the one he held, then held it up and asked

"What kind do I have Lora in?" Loki quickly looked it over, then said

"You've got a standard pokeball there. The most basic of 'em all, and cheap as far as pokeballs go. Some of them go for 1000. But that's because they have special effects that usually are a boon to certain kinds of trainers." Blaze frowned and asked

"Like what?"

"Well, there's the Quick Ball. It's designed to catch a pokemon at the start of a battle. The sooner you toss it, the higher the likelihood it will work. In contrast to that, there's the Timer Ball. It was designed to grow in strength the longer a pokemon battle dragged on. So if, for example, you were up against a particularly strong pokemon, you could wear its health down bit by bit, and once it's down to a manageable level, you toss out a Timer Ball. If your battle took you something like half an hour, then it's almost like a guaranteed catch."

"Are there guaranteed catches?"

"Well, only by one pokeball ever made, which can't be bought on the market. It's called the Master Ball, said to be able to capture legendaries. But of course, both the legendaries and Master Balls are extremely rare, so that's never really been put to the test." Blaze didn't respond.

He and Loki just sat there for another short while, but the silence was interrupted when Lora came out of the tent, looking very tired indeed. Blaze stood up and walked to her, asking

"Are you sure you can handle this?" Lora smiled teasingly and asked with her hands on her hips

"_What, think I can't do anything for myself?"_ Blaze flustered for a moment before Lora laughed and pressed the crystal back into his hand, saying

"_Don't worry, I'm only kidding. I've done what I can so far, but I really need a break right now. Is there any food left?" _Loki nodded and reached back to hand her some. It was beginning to get dark, so Blaze lit up a fire in the pit. The three sat around it, Lora eating ravenously, Blaze still polishing the pokeball, and Loki observing the two of them. After Lora was finished, she suppressed a belch, then said

"_Excuse me. Anyway, I'm ready to go back inside the pokeball, Blaze. Have Loki take me to the Pokemon Center first thing tomorrow morning, and when I get back I'll get back to work on the crystal." _Blaze hesitated for a minute, then held up the ball hesitantly, saying

"Return." The red beam shot out and hit Lora, turning her the same shade of red. Then she was sucked back into the ball, and Blaze sat there, hating himself for doing that to her. Loki came up and laid a hand on his shoulder, telling him

"Don't worry, she's fine. And when I get back tomorrow, you can let her right out." Blaze nodded and surrendered the pokeball, saying tiredly

"Just make sure nothing happens to her." Loki nodded and shrank the ball, saying

"You have my word." Blaze just nodded, then rose and walked to the tent to retire for the night. Loki looked down at Lora's pokeball and said

"He's been through a lot, hasn't he? But hopefully you can make things more livable for him." He attached the ball to his belt and went to his own tent.

**Okay, that should do the trick. Again, I'm sorry I don't have a story spotlight for you this chapter, but the next chapter will. For any of you who are interested, I have a poll up pertaining to my other story, A Deal With A God. For those of you who haven't read it yet, I encourage you to check it out! For those of you who are avid readers, check out my profile page and check out the poll. The end date is actually later than what I originally set it for, but it's difficult to change right now. At any rate, send in those reviews and check out my new poll!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Inferno, Chapter 12**

**Okay all, I'm back! Now then, we'll start things off with a bang! Well, not really. Nya nya! Story Spotlight; **_**The Extended Unova Pokemon Guide**_**, by Gentleman Xerneas. Ratings; 1st) United States 2nd) United Kingdom 3rd) Australia 4th) Canada 5th) Mexico. Keep it goin', guys!**

Making My Move...

It had now been a week since Lora started expanding the crystal. It was now triple its capacity, which was beyond her original plan, but nobody minded. That process took her about three days, during which time both Loki and Blaze had taken many trips to the Pokemon Center. They worried that the nurse was getting suspicious, but they would soon be gone.

At the moment, Lora was filling the crystal with the last of her energy. It was near full, and hopefully there would still be some leftover power for an emergency getaway. Due to the properties of the pokeball, she wouldn't be able to recover while in it, at least until they got to a Pokemon Center. Loki and Blaze debated whether or not to use the one on Cinnabar Island, but eventually settled to get it done in Vermillion City, even though it would be a bit out of their way.

Once Lora was finished, she collapsed in Blaze's arms, and he held up her pokeball, saying to her

"Don't worry, you'll be out before you know it." She grinned lazily at him until she was sucked back in, relieving Blaze's arms of her near-dead weight. Then he stood and placed the pokeball in his front pocket. Loki stepped forward with training bandages and began to wrap up Blaze's hands.

Over the course of the week, Blaze had warmed up considerably to Loki after realizing that he really meant no harm at all. That didn't mean he welcomed him with open arms; rather, he had allowed a little more leniency for his trust. But he was still keeping a close eye on him.

Once his claws were well-covered, Loki carefully tied the string around Blaze's head, making sure to frequently check that Blaze was still comfortable. Once he was fully disguised, Loki placed a hand on Blaze's shoulder, and Blaze used the crystal, both of them vanishing with a bright flash.

**Diglett's Cave, next to Vermillion City**

Some Diglett were poking their heads in and out of their holes, happy as could be, up until a bright white flash permeated the normally dark, dank cave. Blinded, the Diglett quickly retreated and fled. Blaze and Loki however, checked their surroundings, hoping nobody caught their entrance. Fortunately, there was nobody but them and a stray Diglett who managed to conk himself on the head due to a rock he was unable to spot.

Both males heaved a sigh of relief, then Loki started forward. He brought out a flashlight and directed Blaze to the ladder which would take themn out of the tunnel. Blaze eyed the exit warily and asked Loki

"You sure no one will be suspicious with us walking out like this?" Loki nodded and replied

"Absolutely. People go in and out of this tunnel all the time. Even if someone spots us, they won't think anything of it." Blaze nodded and exited the tunnel, followerd by Loki. Blaze took a deep breath of the fresh air, smelling more plants than water now, for which he was glad. However, that would change soon.

Nevertheless, they pushed forward, Loki leading him to the Pokemon Center, whereupon the nurse there said

"Hello, and welcome to the Vermillion City Pokemon Center! How may I help you today?" Blaze took Lora's ball out of his pocket and handed it over, saying

"I need my pokemon healed, please." The nurse nodded and asked

"Just this one?" Blaze nodded and the nurse told him

"Okay, it'll only take a couple of minutes." Blaze thanked her and leaned against a wall, keeping his eye on the entrance for any suspicious characters. Soon the nurse came back, saying

"Okay, your pokemon is all fixed up." Blaze took Lora's pokeball back, saying

"Thank you." The nurse nodded, and as he and Loki left she gave her signature line, making Blaze roll his eyes. After they were out of the Center, Blaze said dryly to Loki

"She sure was more festive than the nurse back on Cinnabar." Loki chuckled and replied

"Well, she's out on a remote island, probably seeing no one for days, even weeks at a time. This one's in a bustling city, where she has to mind her manners." Silencew fell between the two of them as Loki walked to Vermillion Port, Blaze following but keeping a sharp eye and ear out for any suspicious characters.

When they arrived, Loki walked up to the desk, saying

"We need the next boat to the airport island." The attendant nodded and asked

"Passports?" Loki passed his forward, and after some hesitation, so did Blaze. The attendant looked them both over, pausing for a moment at Blaze's. He looked up, a confused expression plastered on his face. Blaze rubbed the back of his head nervously and said

"They were a gift... from an old friend. And after his accident..." The attendant's face closed off, and he handed the passports back, saying to Blaze

"Sorry to hear that. Enjoy the trip." Blaze nodded his thanks, and both he and Loki passed through the gate to board the ship. After they were out of range, Loki pushed against Blaze's shoulder with a sly grin.

"You sneaky dog, you. That was brilliant! Where'd you come up with that?" Blaze shrugged and replied

"Just came to me." Loki grinned and shook his head, then sighed and told him

"Well, that was a good maneuver, but don't get complacent yet." Blaze grunted and told him

"I'll never think about that until I'm well out of Kanto, and even then I'll always be on guard." Loki nodded understandingly and the two got on board. Blaze turned to Loki and asked

"How long will this take?" Loki answered'

"Well, this is a high-speed cruiser, so it'll take a couple hours at least, although if the tides are bad, then it might take longer." Blaze grunted, then said

"Then let's hope for smooth waters."

**Two and a half hours later...**

Blaze and Loki got off the ship, looking around. They were on one of the Sevii Islands, which had in the last five years been transformed into an airport. The island itself was fairly large to accommodate the amount of passengers it saw everyday.

Blaze and Loki walked to the main counter, and Loki asked

"When's the next flight to Unova?" The attendant looked over the schedule, then winced and replied

"Ooh, sorry, you just missed it. The next plane won't be here until noon tomorrow." Blaze nearly roared in frustration, but a look from Loki helped him keep it sighed and asked

"Alright, where's the nearest hotel?" The attendant brought out a small map of the island they were currently on, marking their location, the location of the hotel, then drawing out the route she recommended. She handed it over and said

"Again, I'm sorry about this. I don't control the planes, I just send people through." Loki waved her apology off and told her

"Don't worry, you've got nothing to apologize for. I guess we'll see you tomorrow." The attendant bowed and Loki and Blaze left the terminal. Blaze punched a nearby wall, huffing in frustration. Loki patted his shoulder, telling him

"Calm down. I know this is a set back, but we just have to make due for now. It's less than an entire day, so that's something to be thankful for." Blaze merely grunted, and Loki continued.

"And we can sleep in tomorrow! That'll feel good, won't it? Especially since those long flights can take a toll on you." Blaze looked at him questioningly and asked

"Really?" Loki nodded and answered

"Oh yeah, a long flight with nothing to do but sit in one spot for hours on end? That actually seems to make people tired. And who knows, it might affect you worse than others." Blaze raised his eyebrow skeptically and asked

"What makes you say that?" Loki looked around covertly before answering in a whisper

"Well, considering that you're part human and part pokemon, and motion sickness affects each differently, you might get the short end of the stick for both." Blaze's eyebrows came together in a frown as he asked

"What makes you think I get motion sickness?" Loki shrugged and replied

"Well, you were looking pretty pale on the ship. I figured you were feeling sick from the rocking of the boat." Blaze's frown didn't fade, but he shook his head and responded

"No, I wasn't motion sick; I was worried that we might have been discovered by Team Rocket, especially after that encounter with the attendant back in Vermillion." Loki frowned and said

"Well, the chances of that are fairly unlikely, especially with the brilliant excuse you came up with. I think we've left them pretty far in the dust for now." Blaze hesitated, then nodded. When they arrived at the hotel, they both walked up to the counter, where Blaze attracted some attention, but not an overly amount.

"Hi, one room, please." The desk attendant nodded and pushed over a clipboard, saying

"Sign your names, please." Loki took the pen and signed his name, then passed it back. However, the attendant said, motioning to Blaze

"He needs to sign his name, too." She pushed the clipboard over to Blaze, who now appeared terrified. Loki thought fast and said

"Oh, he can't right now." He pulled out one of Blaze's bandaged hands and said

"He had a bad burn accident with a campfire. Poor guy can't really use his hands right now." Blaze hung his head, feigning his shame. Then Loki pulled the clipboard and pen over to him, asking

"Is it okay if I sign in for him?" The attendant hesitated, then nodded. Loki quickly scribbled Joe Ramirez on the line, then handed the clipboard and pen back, along with the money for the room. The lady behind the desk fished out a room key and handed it to Loki. Both he and Blaze nodded to her and made their way to the elevator, keeping as calm as humanly possible.

Once they found their room, Loki quickly unlocked the door and they both veritably rushed in. Once the door was closed, they both sighed in relief, and Blaze took out Lora's pokeball and held it up to release her. She blinked and asked

_"Wow, that was faster than I thought. So, what does Unova look like?" _Blaze fidgeted and told her

"Actually, we're not in Unova yet. We just missed the plane for it, and have to get the next one tomorrow at noon." Lora slapped her palm into her face and said

_"Damn it, Blaze, didn't I tell you not to let me out until we were safely in Unova?" _She held up a hand, forestalling his answer.

_"I don't want to hewar it right now. I'm sorry, but we can't take any risks. If we're still in Kanto, then there's a chance that Team Rocket will have spies."_ She walked up to him and said

_"Don't call me back out unless it's an emergency or we're safe in Unova." _Then she tapped the button to her pokeball, getting sucked back in. Blaze looked forlornly at it, then sighed. Loki patted him on the shoulder and said

"Tough break, buddy. But don't worry, we're almost there. We can sleep in tomorrow, which will cut some time, and when we get on board, it'll be smooth sailing from there." Blaze looked up and nodded with determination. Then Loki asked

"You want the bed?" Blaze shook his head and replied

"I'd rather have the couch." Loki eyed him and asked

"Are you sure?" Blaze chuckled and replied

"Yeah, I'm sure." Loki hesitated, then nodded and patted him on the back, saying

"Alright, good night then. See you in the morning." Blaze nodded and went over to the couch, laying down on it and falling asleep shortly after."

**The next day; 11:50, the terminal**

Blaze and Loki were waiting for their plane, Blaze shifting Lora's pokeball between his hands, Loki just looking around the terminal. When at last the plane arrived, they both gathered up their belongings and took the appropriate terminal.

They boarded the plane, took their seats, and after the preliminary flight attendant warnings, the plane took off without a hitch. Loki grinned and looked over at Blaze, telling him

"We're on our way now." Blaze simply nodded, tilting his head back and breathing a sigh of relief, wondering what wonders awaited him in his new home.

**Okay, that finishes this off. Hope you enjoyed it, and don't forget to review.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Inferno, Chapter 13**

**Hey everybody, sorry about the delay. I've had a bad case of writer's block and that prevented me from updating any of my stories. Be that as it may, I'm here and ready to take this story to the next phase. However, keep in mind that the end is coming, and probably faster than what you would expect. It all depends how much more I can milk out of this without it becoming another story entirely. At any rate, let's start things off; Story Spotlight; **_**Snowflakes**_**, by BoomShroom. Ratings; 1****st****) United States 2****nd****) Canada 3****rd****) Australia. At this moment in time, 4****th**** and 5****th**** place do not exist.**

Safety At Last?

Blaze woke up groggily after Loki prodded him a couple of times. He yawned and blearily asked

"What's going on?" Loki sported a wide grin and told him

"We're here. We've got about five minutes until we land, so you need to fasten your seat belt." Exhilarated, Blaze fumbled with the straps before finally clicking them into place, then trying to see outside the window, which was hard since Loki had that seat. Loki chuckled and told him

"Relax, we'll be there shortly, and you'll be able to see everything your heart desires." Blaze nodded, a grin spreading which he could not conceal, not that he wanted to. He drew out Lora's pokeball and spoke to it, regardless of whether or not she could hear him.

"We're almost there, Lora." He replaced it in his pocket and braced himself for the landing, which was a new experience for him altogether. Once the light had dimmed and Loki said he could, Blaze undid the seat belt and jumped up, banging his head against the ceiling of the plane.

"Ow!" he shouted, coupled with muttered curses, clasping his hands on top of his head. Many of the passengers eyed him suspiciously, but Loki came to his aid.

"Sorry everybody, he's just excited. Never saw much out of his house, and now he's in a region that's new to him." The rest of the passengers then turned back to their business, and Loki looked at Blaze with something in his eye that said he was going to be giving Blaze quite a lecture. Blaze rolled his eyes and grabbed the pack he had brought with him, which only contained the clothes that Loki had bought for his benefit and the few reusable supplies Lora had "purchased".

After five minutes of waddling around, Blaze finally got out of the airplane and took a deep breath of the region's air. It smelled like hope to him, with no hint whatsoever of Team Rocket. He inhaled it deeply, appreciating his analogy, until Loki grabbed him by the arm and pulled him over to the side of a building, then whispering loudly

"What are you thinking?! If you give us away, all that work means nothing! Don't you understand that?" Blaze rolled his eyes again and replied

"I don't know what you're getting so worked up about. It was one little thing that didn't point fingers in any direction. Besides, even if Team Rocket had been informed, we'd be battling them already. We're in the clear." Loki inhaled and exhaled deeply, then looked Blaze in the eye and said

"Be that as it may, you shouldn't take extraneous risks." Blaze scoffed and moved past him, telling him

"I already know that. Now let's get a move on. I want to see more of this region and all it has to offer. Which direction are we heading? And come to think of it, where are we?" Loki shook his head slowly, then led Blaze to the Pokemon Center. There he pointed at a map and said

"Alright, we're here in Mistralton City, the only city in Unova with a general airport. My friend lives here," he pointed his finger to a new location, almost completely on the other side of the map and south a- ways "in Straiton City." Blaze looked over the total distance and whistled, saying

"Wow, that's going to take a while to walk, isn't it?" Loki smiled and told him

"All the better for sight-seeing. And the best part is, here in Unova, keeping your pokemon out with you is sort of a fad." Blaze's eyes lit up and he rushed outside, closely followed by Loki. Once out, Blaze quickly took out Lora's pokeball and held it up, saying

"Come on out!" The ball opened up with a resounding popping noise and the bright, silvery energy burst out, settled on the ground, and resolved into the form of Lora. She looked around her, then stretched. Finally she asked Blaze

"_Did we do it?" _He grinned and replied happily

"Yup! We're finally out of Kanto!" Lora merely sighed in relief.

"_At long last, our suffering comes to an end, or so I hope." _Both Loki and Blaze nodded in agreement, and Lora looked around the currently verdant lands.

"_Is it safe for me to be out right now?" _Blaze nodded and Loki told her

"Yeah, you're good. Right now there's a sort of fad goin' on about having your pokemon out with you, so that works in our favor." Lora nodded and asked

"_Where do we travel now?" _Loki pulled out his map and showed her exactly what he had shown Blaze, and when he finished she looked up and asked

"_Are we going to teleport there and save time?" _Blaze scoffed and retaliated

"And miss out on the gorgeous scenery? I don't think so. We're walkin'." Lora grinned and shook her head, then asked jovially

"_Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" _The two began to walk off, visibly more relaxed than they could ever have been in Kanto. Loki chuckled and called out

"Hey, do you two even know where you're going?" They both stopped and looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Of course they didn't. Loki shook his head and walked up them, saying

"Well, first off, you're going the wrong way. We need to go through there first." He was pointing to the entrance of a cave where a soft blue light was emanating. Blaze eyed it warily and said

"Are you sure that's the only way?" Loki smirked and whipped out his map, tracing the region in the other direction and saying

"Of course not, but unless you'd rather spend the next three or four months traversing the region, as opposed to a couple of weeks, then by all means keep going in your current direction. Otherwise," he said, rolling up the map and using it as a pointer "that cave is our route to go."

Blaze and Lora looked at each other again and shrugged, then they turned to him and said simultaneously

"Lead the way." Loki chuckled and began to walk toward the cave, Blaze and Lora following behind him. Inside, the cave was lit up with strangely glowing, electric blue crystals. Lora walked up to one and laid a hand against it, slightly shocked by the electricity coursing through it. She automatically pulled her hand away from it and waved it around to rid it of the numbness that had followed. She massaged the hand as she asked

"_What is this place?" _Loki responded

"This is called Chargestone Cave, aptly named for the crystals that course with electric power. No one's sure why it happens, though research is under way, but we do know this much; the charges the crystals give off give other, smaller crystals the ability to float in mid-air." Blaze's and Lora's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Loki laughed and said

"Yeah, I know, but you'll believe it once you see it. Anyway, the floating stones can sometimes cause a block in the road, so to speak. However, if you push it in the direction of a larger crystal boulder, it will zoom toward it and stick to it like a magnet." Blaze shook his head, eyes still wide, and said

"That sounds impossible." Loki chuckled and replied

"Well then, why don't we venture on and test your claim?" They began to walk forward again, but after a short while, Blaze paused and said

"Hold on." Lora and Loki stopped and watched as he removed the first layer of clothing he wore, revealing the fire-retardant clothes Lora had made for him which made him look the part of a Blaziken. Loki shuffled nervously, asking Blaze

"Are you sure you want to do that? You're still conspicuous, you know." Blaze shrugged and replied

"We can just say I'm a Pokefan. I happen to like Blaziken. End of story." Lora shook her head sadly while Loki pinched his nose. Then he sighed and said

"Alright, your choice. Let's keep moving." They did so, eventually coming across a large, bright blue floating crystal that blocked their path. Loki grinned smugly at Blaze and said

"Told ya." Blaze moved forward and inspected the crystal for a moment. Then he backed up a couple of steps, took a running start, and jump-kicked the crystal. He slammed against it with all his momentum and promptly crashed back to the floor. He grumbled as he stood back up, brushing himself off.

"_Are you alright?" _He grumbled again and said

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why didn't that work?" Loki grinned again and replied

"You were trying to act against the pulling force of the original boulder. Try again in another direction." Blaze grunted and moved to another side of the crystal and repeated his maneuver. This time, the crystal flew away, revealing the rest of the path, crashing into the boulder with a resounding _bang_, followed by electrical crackling. Blaze shook his head and said

"That's just weird." Loki nodded, then continued down the path.

Several hours later, the trio walked out the other end of Chargestone Cave, though the light outside was very dim, as it was now sunset. Blaze looked at this phenomenon and said

"What the hell? How is it sunset already?" Loki chuckled and told him

"I guess you're not familiar with the time-difference factor." Blaze and Lora frowned, and Lora asked

"_Time-difference factor?" _Loki nodded and began to explain.

"Yes, you see, the various regions are in different areas of the world, which means that the sun hits it during different time periods. To amend for this, time zones were created so that the position of the sun is reflected in each region. Unova is about three to four hours ahead of Kanto, so while it's still bright and sunny there, it's darkening over here." Blaze and Lora took several minutes to try and process this information. Blaze pretty much gave up, but in time Lora said

"_Okay, I think I have it. So, where do we go from here?" _Loki pulled out the map again and showed it to her. Then he said

"It's fairly straightforward; the path pretty much does the work for us. All we have to do is follow it." Lora nodded, Loki put the map away, and Blaze said

"But for now we should probably make camp." Loki looked around and agreed.

"Yeah, this spot's as good as any. Then we can get up bright and early tomorrow and keep going." Blaze and Lora nodded in agreement. They removed the packs from their shoulders and started setting up their tent while Loki did his. After they finished, Lora gathered up firewood, which Blaze set ablaze. Loki began to prepare their dinner, and for the moment all was peaceful.

Soon enough, their dinner was ready, and as they ate, they listened to the various sounds of the night that permeated the region, mostly the Woobats and Swoobats. But there were also other nocturnal creatures, just not as prominent. Once they finished, they went straight to bed.

**The Next Morning…**

Blaze and Lora woke up, feeling slightly refreshed, if still a bit flustered by the time difference. Nevertheless, they exited the tent, greeted warmly by Loki, who already had breakfast ready for them. They ate merrily, reveling in the freedom they could now partake in.

Once their breakfast was eaten and the camp was broken, they continued on their journey. However, they were held up when they approached a building, as a line of caterpillar-like pokemon came crawling out of the forest, herded by a couple of large, mantis-like bugs. One of them saw the trio and began to greet them until she saw Blaze. She practically fainted upon seeing him and quickly rushed over to her friend, motioning at Blaze. When she looked, her reaction was nearly identical to the first's, and Blaze crossed his arms in irritation, asking

"Alright, what's your deal?" The two mantis-like pokemon didn't answer; instead, they darted to him and picked him up, asking Lora

"Could you watch over the children for us while we attend to this tragedy?" Struck dumb, Lora simply nodded, which made Blaze start yelling.

"Hey, what are you agreeing for?! Get me away from these loons! Help! Kidnap! Robbery! Something!" One of the Leavanny carrying him sighed in exasperation and set him down long enough to weave a gag, effectively shutting Blaze up.

"We aren't going to harm you; we're simply fixing the tragedy that is your garment." And with that, Blaze was carried off into the woods. Loki and Lora were just staring at the place where they had disappeared, at least until one of the Sewaddle latched itself to Lora's leg, causing her to shudder briefly. She gently detached it and set it with its brothers and sisters, not having a particular liking for bugs, given that she was a Psychic type. Thank Arceus they weren't Dark, though. Loki approached and said

"Well, I guess we have a task on our hands until those Leavanny bring Blaze back." Lora looked up at him with worry and asked

"_What are they going to do to him?" _Loki laughed loudly and said

"Knowing Leavanny, Blaze is going to get a new set of clothes." Lora's head tilted in confusion, which made Loki chuckle. Then he began to explain.

"You see, among very few other pokemon, Leavanny are natural mothers. Even if they aren't true mothers, they still have strong paternal instincts. That's probably where all these Sewaddle came from." Said insects were gazing up at them with avid interest at their new caretakers, and Lora couldn't help but feel some affection for them. Despite their strange appearance as insects, they were admittedly cute.

After about an hour and a half, during which Lora and Loki had their hands full trying to keep all the Sewaddle occupied, the Leavanny walked out of the forest with Blaze in tow. Lora could only stare, as the Leavanny had replaced his clothes with hand-spun versions, perfectly colored to match the look of a Blaziken. The only give-away now was his face and lack of a beak.

"Wow… those Leavanny did an excellent job, didn't they?" Lora simply nodded. The Leavanny looked over the Sewaddle, then looked at Lora and said

"Thank you for watching over our little ones. And we apologize for abducting your friend, but that was simply a tragedy we could not overlook. On the bright side, he now has several of those outfits. Once again, thank you." Then they left, making Lora more than a little confused. In due time, she just brushed it off, saying

"_Fine, whatever. But You'll have to be careful from now on, as I doubt those clothes are fire-proofed." _Blaze grinned and said

"Care to bet?" He lit his palm up and ran it over his arm, surprising Lora after he removed it without any evidence of burned cloth. Lora stared uncomprehendingly.

"_How?" _Blaze smiled and replied

"Apparently there are some sorts of chemicals in plants you can mix with silk to make it fire-retardant. So, shall we continue?" Loki nodded, and they moved past the building, met some pokemon along the way, and close to the end of the day they arrived in Driftveil City. They reserved a room in the local pokemon center after Blaze returned Lora to her pokeball. With the same arrangements as before, Loki and Blaze slept peacefully through the night.

**Okay, things are rolling again. Hope you enjoyed this. Please review soon.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Inferno, Chapter 14**

**Well, here we go again. This chapter should be pretty exciting, perhaps scary. But you'll have to read to find out why. On another note, if you have a story you want to see on the spotlight, please PM me and give a brief explanation of your story. I'll look it over and decide whether or not I deem it appropriate. Who knows, you might find yourself another follower! Anyway, let's get started here. Story Spotlight; **_**Cyanide- A Prison Story**_**, by Cyanide the Sneasel. Ratings; 1****st****) United States 2****nd****) Australia 3****rd****) Canada 4****th****) United Kingdom 5****th****) Barbados.**

A False Sense of Security

It was now three days since Blaze, Lora, and Loki's arrival to Unova. They had taken a brief reprieve for the time being in Castelia City, whose structure interested Blaze. He thought that the whole of Castelia resembled a giant hand on the map, though that was only due to the individual ports.

They weren't going to tackle Skyarrow Bridge, as it was too long to make in the little time of the day they had left. So they decided to grab a room at the Pokemon Center, and after their names had been registered, Blaze and Lora went to get something to eat. Meanwhile, Loki went to the telecommunicators to contact his friend again. He dialed the number, and after three rings, he answered.

"Privet?" he asked, his accent heavier. Upon seeing Loki, he grinned widely and said

"Aah, podruga Loki! It has been a while since we last conversed, no? Tell me, how fare your travels?" Loki grinned and replied

"We've been in Unova for three days now. We're taking a room in Castelia right now." Nicholai's eyes widened and he said angrily

"I ty ne skazal mne?!" Loki sweatdropped and said

"Dude, I don't speak Russian. Please make some sense." Nicholai pinched the bridge of his nose and said

"Etot mal'chik budet moya smert'. I asked, why did you not tell me?" Loki shook his head exasperatedly and said

"Geez, take it easy. What was the other thing you said?" Nicholai scowled and replied

"That you will be the death of me. Now answer _my _question." Loki chuckled and told him

"Sorry, but I wanted to get out of Mistralton quick, and both Driftveil and Nimbassa are packed to the point that people could overhear and spread the word quickly." Nicholai frowned and asked

"And this matter does not give you concern where you are now?" Loki shook his head and said

"No, because there are so _many _ people here, that if something does slip, the chances are it will become very distorted along the way, which helps in a way." Nicholai chuckled and said

"Ah yes, much like children's game of telephone, no? I find it amusing to see where a simple phrase can go because something was misheard. At the end, the phrase is severely distorted. Yes, very amusing indeed." Loki shook his head and said

"You sure are weird." Nicholai grunted and responded

"Vy posmotreli v zerkalo v posledneye vremya?" Loki frowned and asked

"What was that?" Nicholai shook his head and replied

"Nothing of consequence. So tell me, when should I expect your arrival?" Loki hesitated, then let what he was sure was an insult pass before saying

"As long as nothing goes wrong, we should get there within a week."

"Good! I shall have preparations made for your arrival!" Loki waved the offer off and said

"Oh, there's no need to go to that trouble-"

"It is no trouble, as I often do not get visitors, much less house guests" Nicholai interrupted. Loki paused, then shrugged and said

"Alright, whatever. It's your house to wreck." Nicholai chuckled, then said

"Very well, then. I shall see you and your companions within the week." Loki nodded and signed off, sighing in relief. He had come far in this act of help, but there was still more ground to cover, and not all the dangers had been crossed yet. If Blaze wanted full protection, he needed to become a registered citizen of the region. Of course, given his background, that might prove difficult. Loki stood and walked over to the cafeteria, spotting Blaze and Lora fairly quickly.

That made him worry, as Blaze's bright red clothing was a dead give-away. However, he would not be persuaded to change. As he said

"I have Blaziken blood in me, and so long as that holds true, I might as well look the part!" Hardly convincing, but he was adamant about it. Loki approached the two refugees and asked

"So, how are you enjoying Unova so far?" Blaze turned to him with bright eyes and said

"I'm loving it! This place is so accepting, way more upbeat than Kanto ever was!" Loki grinned and said

"Well, Kanto is more of a tradition region; Unova is a bit more new-age." Blaze nodded and replied

"And that works for me. So, what's next on the agenda?" Loki responded

"We'll crash here for tonight, then cross Skyarrow Bridge tomorrow. That will take the better part of the day, so we'll have to make camp in Pinwheel Forest." Lora frowned and asked

"_Pinwheel Forest?" _Loki nodded and replied

"Yeah, it's this region's biggest forest. In fact, it's so big that, before the trail was paved, people would get lost for days on end, even though they kept moving, but in much of a pinwheel fashion. Hence the name." Lora seemed worried, and rightly so, until Loki allayed her fears.

"But like I said, there's a paved trail. The only way you'll get lost is if you go off of it and wind your way through the forest for a while. Even then the trail isn't unduly difficult to find again." Lora nodded, looking more relieved now. Blaze then asked

"How long will it take us to get to… where was it again?" Loki smiled and told him

"Striaton City. And it should take us about another five days to walk there, assuming nothing goes wrong. Anyway, let's turn in for the night and get an early start tomorrow." They both nodded and rose from the table. They went to their room and took their respective sleeping areas, Lora the bed, Blaze the couch and Loki the floor. Neither of them minded this arrangement, so they soon fell asleep.

The next morning they bolted down a quick breakfast and left early, before most everyone in the normally bustling city was even awake. Guided by light posts, they walked along the ports of Castelia, eventually reaching the small tunnel that led directly to Skyarrow Bridge. When they exited the opposite side, the sun was beginning to peek up from the horizon, and Blaze looked over the bridge. Finally he said

"We have to walk across that monster?!" Loki grinned and nodded, replying

"Yep, the longest bridge in the world, and we have the dubious pleasure of walking across it to reach our destination. Just keep in mind that it will only take a day."

"_Only _a day?! You're out of your mind!" Loki chuckled and said

"Well, we're not going to make it in a day if we keep arguing. Let's bicker along the way, shall we?" Lora rolled her eyes and said

"_Oh, both of you knock it off already. Let's just cross and get it over with." _With that, the group took their first steps on the world's currently longest bridge, and Blaze felt uneasy about the whole thing, not least because they were over a massive expanse of ocean and he didn't know how to swim. However, Lora reminded him

"_You still have the crystal, remember?" _Blaze frowned and pulled it out, saying

"Yeah, but between the mass teleport to Vermillion and recharging you, I don't think it will take us very far." Lora lay a hand on the crystal, then said

"_No, it won't. But the bridge is secure, that much I know. Once we stop to make camp, I'll begin to revitalize it." _Loki frowned and asked

"Is that a good idea?" Lora turned to him and replied

"_I don't see why not. Blaze can always recall me to have me healed, and if we encounter any danger, it is better to have a more substantial amount than to have nothing. Unless you see a flaw in that reasoning, I will forge ahead with that plan." _Loki frowned, as he didn't deny the validity of her argument, but still didn't like the idea. He shrugged, knowing it would be pointless to argue, and said

"Fine, it's your energy. It doesn't really matter to me. Just don't overexert yourself, okay?" Lora nodded and promised. For the rest of the day they walked across the bridge, and after Blaze got over his initial fear, he started to appreciate the magnificent and clear view they could enjoy. Along the way, they met a few other travelers, some trainers who had one or more of their pokemon out, some just regular people, and even some people strangely dressed to resemble a pokemon of sorts. One particular young adult, dressed as a Gallade, stopped and said

"Damn dude, nice outfit! You almost had me fooled for a real Blaziken! Where'd you get that done?" Blaze grumbled and replied

"A couple of bugs kidnapped me and spun these out." The man was confused until Loki rushed to explain.

"It was two Leavanny. They were appalled to see the state his original attire was in, so they redid it for him." The man nodded approvingly and said

"Cool. Maybe I'll find a couple of Leavanny and see what I can get. Anyway, it was nice talkin' to you!" He waved them farewell as he walked off, and the group returned it. Then they continued forward, Blaze gleaming with joy.

"Wow, I really love this region!" Lora and Loki chuckled, but Lora was glad to see Blaze finally happy, and expressing it without hesitation. She decided to have a little fun with him.

"_Say, Blaze?" _He looked at her, his hands currently clasped behind his head while he took exaggerated steps.

"Hmm?" Lora smiled and asked teasingly

"_What's say after we settle things down we find you a lovely female Blaziken?" _Blaze blushed and said

"Whoa, where did that come from?" Lora laughed and continued

"_Oh, I just wondered. You _are _getting at that age, you know."_ Blaze's blush deepened and he said

"That's a bit left field, especially for you, Lora, What are you planning?" Growing a bit more serious, Lora told him

"_Well, everyone has their partners. I thought it would only be fair if you had one yourself."_ Blaze frowned and retorted

"Well what about you? You've gone to those mating meetings or whatever, but you never settled down."

"_I was busy protecting you. I had no time to settle down. But maybe after we do in Striaton, I just might consider it."_ Blaze regarded her with shock and said

"Really?" Lora simply nodded, and Blaze looked forward, now considering the possibility, then shaking his head clear of the thought, thinking out loud

"No female in their right mind would want to take me for a mate. I'm just… an abomination." Lora frowned and said

"_Don't think like that. You are who you are, and there's nothing wrong with that. You aren't an abomination, and you're certainly no worse than any other human or pokemon. At least take it into consideration. You've suffered much, and a mate would probably do you some good." _She let those words hang in the air, and while they made Blaze somewhat uncomfortable, he also entertained the idea while they walked.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Just before the sun began to sink below the horizon, the end of the bridge came within sight. Blaze grinned and shouted out

"Race ya!" Before taking off. Loki chuckled and shouted after him

"Oh no you don't!" and ran right after him. Lora sighed and remarked to herself

"_Boys"_ and continued along at her own leisurely pace. When at last she reached them, the stars were peering down at the trio, and Blaze said sarcastically

"It's about time you made it, slowpoke!" Lora rolled her eyes and replied

"_Gardevoir aren't meant to run. Besides, it would only have served to tire me further, and then I wouldn't have been able to begin restoring the energy inside the crystal." _Blaze rolled his eyes and accepted her rebuttal.

"Fine, whatever. Let's just get moving. I want to get there as soon as possible. I'd travel through the night, but I don't know where I'm going." Loki and Lora both laughed, and they soon made camp, ate dinner, and promptly went to bed.

The next morning was met with a bright sun, clear skies, and fresh air. Blaze exited the tent, inhaling deeply and expressing once again his affection for the region. In the spirit of things, he started the fire and searched through his supplies for some food, but there was nothing there. Out of newfound respect, he didn't want to go rifling through Loki's belongings, so he waited.

In time Lora and Loki woke up, and once breakfast was made, they ate merrily and went over their planned route for the day. Hopefully they could reach Nacrene City by the end of the day, but only action would get them there.

So they packed up their camp and began their journey through the forest. The path wasn't as long as Skyarrow Bridge, not by a long shot, but it was still fairly far. Fortunately, though, it was also straight.

Halfway through, however, around noon, Lora turned her head curiously into the forest, having felt something odd. Blaze noticed and asked

"What's up Lora?" She briefly shook her head and told him

"_I thought I felt something strange in there… I'm going to have a look." _And she walked right in. Blaze looked at Loki and said

"I'll get her. We'll be right back." Loki nodded, hesitantly though, and Blaze walked in after Lora. He soon found her in a clearing, where she was looking right and left, searching for something, but evidently unable to find it. Blaze walked up to her and asked

"What's going on?" Lora hesitated before replying

"_I felt a spike of emotion just a moment ago, but now it's completely gone." _Blaze shrugged and said

"Maybe it was a flying type, and it just flew away." Lora looked around again, and she said slowly

"_I'm not so sure about that…"_

_SNAP!_

The sound caused both Lora and Blaze to whirl around, years of experience kicking in. Unfortunately, it would not help here.

A large net encased them both and wrapped around them. The net was mesh and appeared to be made out of a multicolored material, but neither Blaze nor Lora could identify it. Soon, a medium-sized man walked forward, and when he stepped into the light, he was revealed as a Team Rocket scientist. Blaze's heart dropped and he said in his mind

"_No… not now… not when we've come so far!" _He began to struggle to throw the net off of them, but that only made it constrict them more. When he gave up, Lora attempted to remove the net with her psychic powers. However, the net glowed brightly in response, and when it faded, Lora was panting for breath, obviously worn out. The scientist chuckled and stared at them.

He was of medium stature, with brown hair and gray eyes, which were mostly concealed by glasses that were easily an inch thick, owing to the man's horrible depth perception. Even with them, however, he still was fairly blind. He wore a white overcoat that covered his entire body.

He shifted his glasses and told them

"Forget it. That net absorbs whatever energy you put out, and then some. I have to say, I have quite an interesting pair here. Gardevoir and Blaziken are not native to this region, but I'm sure Team Rocket will be pleased with new test subjects nonetheless." Blaze's heart dropped and he thought

"_Test subjects? They catch random pokemon to test on? That's just horrible!" _He was about to say something, but Lora quickly hushed him in his mind.

"_No! Don't speak!" _

"_Why not?" _

"_He doesn't know who you are. If you don't tip him off, we won't be shipped first-class back to Kanto. We'll still have a chance to escape, Blaze." _The argument forestalled Blaze's nearly outspoken fury about the atrocities of Team Rocket. The scientist took a remote out of his pocket and pressed a button. The net fully wrapped around Blaze and Lora, and he summoned two Machoke to throw them into a large cage. The net was removed, the door was closed, and the Machoke carried the cage through the forest, deeper than anyone dared travel.

At last they came to a large vehicle, which looked like it was used for mass transport, of what Blaze had a hunch. When the back doors were opened, his worst fears were confirmed. Inside cages of their own were a variety of pokemon, all clamoring for their freedom and trying to break open their cages. They were obviously designed in some way that prevented them from using their own attacks, so the most they could use was brunt force, which wasn't really enough.

Blaze saw all sorts as he and Lora were placed in the last empty slot in the back of the truck. Shortly after the doors were closed, the truck began to move. Blaze turned to Lora and asked

"Are you alright?" Lora nodded and replied

"_Yes, but I'm very tired. That energy draining net was more potent than I could imagine." _Blaze frowned and asked

"So what are the chances you can teleport us out of here?" Lora hung her head and said tiredly

"_Too slim. I don't have the energy to teleport us any further than the outside of this cage, but it wouldn't allow that. And the crystal is too depleted to get us any considerable distance." _Blaze hesitated, then said

"Then I guess it would be way too much to ask to get all these pokemon out of here." Lora turned incredulous eyes on him and shouted in his mind

"_Are you crazy?! I can't get US out of here, much less all of them!" _Blaze riled up and demanded

"So you would tell me to forsake them and allow them to be subjected to the horrors we know Team Rocket commits?" Lora had no answer. Blaze looked around with pity at all the pokemon. Some were sulking, many were trying to escape, but all of them were crying out in despair. The only exception Blaze saw was a Lucario in the corner with a purple scarf that had black trimming. He, unlike the other pokemon, was asleep, leaning as comfortably as possible against the side of his cage. Blaze was confused, but he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he nestled up against Lora, allowing her some comfort while she recuperated enough to form a decent plan. Before Blaze closed his eyes, the last thing he though was

"_May Arceus have pity on us."_

**Alright, that was exciting, wasn't it? This was actually a request from one of my readers. It's not finished yet, so don't send those hate reviews just yet. But please do send your reviews soon.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Inferno, Chapter 15**

**Hello everybody, I'm back once again! Now, you've all probably been waiting on this cliffhanger, so we'll just get right into it. Story Spotlight; **_**Blackthorn Hall**_**, by Cyanide the Sneasel. Ratings; 1****st****) United States 2****nd****) Australia 3****rd****) Canada 4****th****) United Kingdom 5****th****) Barbados.**

An Unexpected Ally

Blaze was woken by the severe rocking of the truck, coupled with the discomfort of sleeping against steel bars. He groaned and stretched as far as he could, waking up Lora in the process. She rose wearily and asked

"_How do you feel?" _Blaze's brows met together as he retorted

"I should be asking _you _that. Do you have your energy back?" She shifted against him and replied blearily

"_A bit, but not by much. I think it has something to do with this cage, or that net earlier. I'm sorry I got us into this, Blaze. I thought I was helping a pokemon in distress. But it turns out I led us into a trap." _Blaze rubbed her arm and told her

"Don't worry about it. We'll get out of here… somehow." He looked at the pokemon assorted randomly in their cages, many having succumbed to sleep as a result of their efforts. Some still struggled, but more weakly than before. The strange Lucario in the corner was still asleep, looking as if he didn't have a care in the world. Blaze growled inwardly as he tried to think of a strategy to get out.

After a moment, he leaned forward and brought forth his flame, trying to bend the metal of the bars so he could deform them enough to get out. Unfortunately, the cage sapped the energy out of his efforts, and he quickly stopped before it completely drained him. He needed his wits about him today, of all days. He grabbed one of the bars and yanked gently on it. It seemed to give slightly. Emboldened, Blaze yanked as hard as he could on it.

The result left him breathless and slightly paralyzed, as the bars had just sent a large current of electricity through his body, courtesy of his actions. Fortunately for him, he had long ago been accustomed to excess amounts of electricity. Such a current he had just experienced would have easily left larger creatures numbed, paralyzed medium-sized creatures, and killed smaller ones. Blaze shook the feeling off, and Lora said

"_We should have guessed something like that would have occurred. Team Rocket isn't one to let its prey easily escape." _Blaze frowned and asked aloud

"Where's Loki when you need him?"

**Loki's POV**

Loki was pacing the path directly in the area where Lora and Blaze had disappeared. He was bordering on a mix of irritation, frustration, and panic. After ten minutes, Loki became suspicious, so he followed the trail Lora and Blaze had cut through the forest. Upon arriving in a clearing, however, he noticed signs of a recent scuffle.

After looking over the area for five minutes, he rushed back out to the path and released his Gliscor. It looked up at him in curiosity, whereupon Loki told it

"I need you to fetch Nicholai Faddei. Give him this note." He handed a quickly scrawled letter, which the Fang Scorp pokemon placed within its hollow pincher.

"You'll find him in Striaton City. Bring him back here as fast as you possibly can. Understand?" The Gliscor saluted him, then jumped into the air and flew off at breakneck speed. Loki sighed as he knew the only thing he could do now was wait.

So he paced back and forth, not caring that he was hurting his feet. He waited for several hours, and when the tree leaves rustled more than usual, he looked up. It almost always was some bird or a particularly strong gust of wind, which only exacerbated Loki's stress.

At last, with a cry of

"Loki, what has happened?" Nicholai Faddei came crashing through the leafy canopy on Gliscor's back, who was currently panting from exertion. Nicholai clambered off its back, and Loki said

"Thanks. Now get a good rest." He returned it, then faced Nicholai. He was wearing a black trench coat, covering plain dark jeans and a black shirt. He also wore aviator goggles and a dark look in his eye. He asked

"Why have you summoned me here? Further, why did you request I come armed?" Loki hushed him with his hands, looking around covertly, then motioned for him to follow. He led Nicholai through the forest until he reached the clearing, then pointed the general area out and said

"I believe the friends I helped get over here have been kidnapped." Nicholai's gaze became disengaged, as if he had something else on his mind.

"Why do they call it 'kid'napping, even if the victim is not a child and is clearly not napping?" Loki rolled his eyes and said

"Nicholai, this is not the time for jokes. We've got a real situation on our hands here!" Nicholai growled in irritation, then pushed past Loki and inspected the torn ground himself. He followed a series of footprints behind a pair of trees covered by large bushes. He stepped behind and said to himself

"This is very good place for hiding. And footprints lead here…" He unclipped a pokeball from his belt and held it up, releasing his chosen pokemon. A female Lucario came out, looking upon her master and wagging her tail. Nicholai acknowledged her, then said

"Anna, I need for you to observe this area for any aura that is at least a day old. Can you do that for me?" She nodded and closed her eyes, her aura sensing organs lifting into the air. After a brief period of time, she moved in the same path as the footprints. Nicholai followed her and watched as she followed the trail. Loki came up and asked somewhat loudly

"What are you do-" Nicholai had clamped a hand over his mouth and said in a hushed voice

"Quiet, durachit'! She is looking at trail, and if all goes well, we will be in hot pursuit of your captive friends. Do not, however, ruin her concentration. Understand?" Loki nodded and Nicholai removed his hand. Together they watched the Lucario as she meandered slightly, then tilted her head before running in a certain direction, still with her eyes closed. Nicholai gave out a quiet cheer and said

"She has trail now! Come, we must follow!" He and Loki followed closely behind her, observing how she often paused, then rushed forward again. She came close to hitting trees but always managed to veer off at the last second. Loki was curious and Nicholai was frowning. Then Loki asked

"Why is she doing that? It makes no sense." Nicholai's frown evolved into a scowl and he replied

"The trail she follows is either that of a blind man or a drunk. In order to effectively trail our foes, she must follow steps exactly. Otherwise she could lose it, and we would have to start all over. That is why I urged you not to break her concentration." Loki nodded his understanding and continued to watch the Jackal-like pokemon. Eventually she stopped for a prolonged period of time, and her aura sensing organs dropped. She turned to Nicholai, whereupon he asked

"Anna, what happened?" She lifted her wrist and clicked a device that translated her words so both Nicholai and Loki could understand her.

"The trail ends here. It has dimmed severely, and I cannot proceed without assistance." Nicholai nodded and unclipped his second pokeball, releasing his second pokemon. It resolved in the form of a Gallade who had strange green swords tied to his back. He looked at Nicholai and he said

"Anna is following a trail to find Loki's missing friends. The trail has diminished, and she needs your help to pick it back up." The Gallade nodded and walked over to Anna, who hopped onto his back. The blades on the Gallade's back gave extra space between each species respective spikes, and the Gallade supported Anna under her legs. She rested her arms over his shoulders and placed her hands on his temples. She activated the aura sensing organs again and the Gallade began sprinting forward. Loki and Nicholai quickly followed, Loki asking

"What's going on now? And what are those blades on your Gallade's back?" Nicholai took a deep breath and began to explain.

"They are using a special method I developed years ago to enhance Anna's ability to track aura trails that have long since been cold. She connects her mind to Victory, and she activates her abilities. Victory can see what she sees but is not limited the way she is. When this method is used, she exerts much aura, but is incapable of moving. So Victory transports her." Loki eyed Nicholai skeptically and asked sardonically

"You named your Gallade Victory?" Nicholai briefly glared at Loki and pointed an accusing finger at him, saying

"I do not tell you how to lead your life!" Loki sweatdropped and said

"O…kay. So, what about the green blades on his back?" Nicholai huffed briefly, then shook his head and replied sadly

"Those are the blades of his father." Loki frowned and asked

"What do you mean?" Nicholai sighed and said

"It is tragic story. I found him as a Ralts one day in a bush. I fed and sheltered him, and he looked upon me as a father. It was touching, but in time he wondered where his real parents were. So we began to search for them. Unfortunately, we only found his mother still alive." Loki blanched for a moment and said

"What exactly happened to his father?" Nicholai shrugged and replied

"I am not sure, but I know that his blades, for he was a Gallade himself, were removed from his body and wielded as weapons for his enemy, a great disrespect. Victory was understandably angry, and by this time he was a Gallade. He challenged the opponent for his father's swords. The battle was harsh, but he would not be denied. He defeated and killed his enemy and lay claim to his rightful inheritance, the blades of his father. And now he is a master of four-blade style. Trust me, it is a sight to behold."

Loki paused mentally to process all of this, then asked

"Does Anna have as tragic a story as you and Victory?" Nicholai shrugged and replied

"I do not believe so. I found her as Riolu among my line of work. I brought her with me, she latched onto Victory, and the two have been very close since." Loki stopped asking questions now, but he still wondered how far Blaze and Lora would be.

**Blaze's POV**

Lora had tried putting some energy into the crystal, but the cage wound up sucking that out of her. Extremely irritated by this point, Blaze had resorted to kicking the bars of the cage with all his might, trying to knock them out. Some of the other pokemon saw what he was doing and tried to emulate him, but many went back down due to the electric shocks. Blaze, however, refused to give up, despite the pain.

After a half hour of the din, however, the Lucario woke up finally, only to shout out

"Would you all just shut the hell up already?! You're not getting anywhere with all your screaming and whining, so just give it a rest!" He laid back down, ignoring the curses and jeers aimed at him. He repositioned his scarf and promptly went back to sleep.

Blaze rolled his eyes and thought

"_Damn, why is he so calm? I guess he doesn't know where he's headed."_

Blaze shook his head and resumed his efforts for another ten minutes before his legs couldn't take anymore abuse. He leaned back, panting. Then he asked Lora

"Were you able to come up with a plan?" She slowly shook her head and replied

"_Unless we get out of this cage, our chances of escape are very, very slim." _She hesitated, then asked

"_Is brute force always necessary?" _Pausing at her words for a moment, Blaze inspected one of his claws, then said

"Alright, I think I get what you mean. Give me a sec." He scooted forward and pushed his arm through the bars, then attempted to pick the lock with his talons. Unfortunately, just as he nearly had it, the cage shocked him again, and this time was worse since he was effectively stuck.

"_Blaze!" _cried Lora, and she quickly helped pull his arm back in, leaving him panting heavily.

"Damn… it…" He faced Lora and asked

"What now?" She cast her teary eyes down and said

"_We pray to Arceus that help will arrive in time for us to avoid a grim fate." _Blaze scoffed and leaned back to rest, saying

"If Arceus really cared, he wouldn't have allowed Team Rocket to exist in the first place."

**Loki's POV**

The team had just found the tracks of a large truck, and Anna and Victory picked up the pace. Loki and Nicholai were fairly breathless by this point, but they persisted regardless. Loki especially pressed himself, hoping to save the pair he had spent many weeks helping. It would be poor for his self-image indeed if he allowed them to be returned to Team Rocket, where sure death awaited Lora and absolute, utter agony for Blaze.

After another couple of hours, Victory stopped because he needed a reprieve. Nicholai and Loki barely caught up to him, grateful he had finally stopped. Loki dared to ask

"How close are we to finding them?" Anna hopped off Victory and activated her translating device, responding

"The trail is still cold, but it can be followed. My guess is that we are still many miles away from your friends." Loki cursed and punched a tree, unable to reconcile all that was occurring now. Then he asked

"What are the chances we'll catch up with them?"

"Lesser if we stop for breaks like this. Part of it depends where the trial leads. Because it is a vehicle, it must follow a more or less established road, which makes our efforts easier. Moreover, every time it stops, which it does every now and then, it gives us a better opportunity to catch up." Loki frowned and asked

"How do you know it stops?"

"There is a collection of various auras in one location that is stronger than the current trail. That suggests that more than one living creature is confined in one space for an extended period of time. It also helps me locate the continuing path of the trail, though it dims after a certain length. But it can still be followed." Loki nodded his head and asked

"Are we in such an area now?" Anna nodded and replied

"Yes. That is why we take a brief reprieve now, but we should get moving again soon if we wish to catch up." Loki nodded once more, and Anna resumed her position on Victory's back. They quickly sped off again, ignoring the slight weariness in their limbs, and Loki began to pray that they could catch up.

**Blaze's POV**

At this point, everyone was resigned to their fate, even Blaze and Lora accepted that there was probably no chance of getting away. So for the moment, they were trying to enjoy their last days together, as they thought.

However, the pervaded silence was broken with a loud beeping. Everyone in the truck looked around, trying to locate it, and eventually turned to the Lucario with the scarf. He woke up and pulled a small device from under his scarf. He looked at something, then promptly shut it off. He returned it to his scarf and pulled out a small key. He unlocked his cage and stretched once he stepped out. All at once, the other pokemon began shouting for him to free them as well, all except for Lora and Blaze. They knew it would make no difference if they added their voices to the din.

The Lucario ignored them all and took a wide stance. He lowered his head and closed his eyes, and the dangling receptors on the back of his head lifted into the air. He worked something out in his mind, then reopened his eyes, the aura receptors dropping, and he shouted

"Everybody SHUT UP!" Silence once again filled the truck, and after a moment he said

"Alright, now if you want me to free you and save your lives, you're all going to have to do what I say." Automatically some of the more prideful pokemon, such as Luxray, Empoleon, and Charizard began to protest loudly.

"Why should we follow you?!"

"How can we trust what you say?!"

It went on like this for another minute before the Lucario roared out

"SHUT UP!" After things died down a bit, the Lucario stated

"You are all trapped in cages you cannot escape. We have a guard around us that won't hesitate to make some cadavers. After all, they fight less." That really shut everybody in the truck up, and he continued

"We are in a moving diesel, and we're nearly at a Team Rocket base, where you will all be subjected to tortures you cannot imagine. Although," he turned to Lora and Blaze, then said "I don't think some of us _have _to imagine it." Turning back to address the rest, he said

"If you think you can make it out without my help, then go ahead and prove me wrong. Otherwise, you'll have to do as I say to get out of this and live." After a brief debate, everyone began to acknowledge him as the leader. Lora turned to Blaze and asked

"_What do you think? Can we trust him?" _Blaze smiled grimly and asked back

"Do we have a choice?" The Lucario heard and frowned in Blaze's direction briefly, then shook his head and began to unlock the cages, one by one. After he unlocked them all and had everyone under his command, he looked around at them and walked over to a young Bulbasaur. He pulled out a white cloth and asked it

"Can you use Sleep Powder?" The young plant dinosaur-looking pokemon nervously nodded, and the Lucario placed the cloth in front of its mouth and asked

"Can you embed this with that, please?" The Bulbasaur was confused but complied. After that was done, the Lucario folded the cloth up and tucked it away under his scarf. Then he used his aura receptors again, and once he finished he shouted for all to hear

"Brace for impact!" Everyone rushed to grab the bars of the cages and hold onto each other, especially the children. Not more than half a minute after they had done so, a massive explosion could be heard outside the truck, and whatever it was had sent the truck over on its side, tumbling down into a ditch. The back doors flew open after the Lucario blasted them open with an Aura Sphere, and he shouted

"Take down the Rockets!" Blaze told Lora to stay behind with some of the other pokemon who were watching over the children and rushed out to join the fray. Once there, he began taking down the Rocket grunt's pokemon, one by one. On occasion, he also beat down a grunt, but never went for the kill. He had already done it once; he would not do so again. However, one Rocket grunt he had just knocked to the ground returned to his feet, only for his head to be brutally twisted to the side. He fell to the ground, never to get up again. Replacing him was the Lucario from before. Blaze stared at him with horror and anger, but the Lucario interrupted before he could object.

"I want a word with you and your companion once this is finished." He then dashed off to take down another opponent, and Blaze shook his head furiously. Right now, he had to finish this.

Half an hour later, most of the Rocket grunts lay either unconscious or dead, courtesy of the Lucario. Blaze was absolutely horrified by his actions and planned to demand an explanation from him. The remainder who had stuck behind peered out, checking for safety. Once it had been assured, they all hopped out, passing the children down, them running to find their parents among the group, or if they didn't have any, simply stood around.

"Alright," the Lucario called out, "you're all free to go. Enjoy your freedom." The rest of the pokemon cheered and quickly dashed off to the forests, leaving him, Blaze and Lora behind. Lora wanted to thank him, but Blaze wanted an explanation from him. They approached him, and he turned to them with the small device from before in his paw. He grunted and turned back around, saying

"You'd better make yourselves scarce better more Rockets get here. They will come, you know." Lora hesitated before replying

"_Actually, we just came here to thank you. Right, Blaze?" _Blaze's eyes flashed dangerously, and he growled

"No. I want an explanation from him." Lora and the Lucario turned to him, but before anything else could be said, the scientist emerged from the passenger side of the cab of the truck, and the Lucario dashed toward him. He used a choke hold on him, knocking his glasses askew, before taking out the cloth imbibed with Sleep Powder and forced the scientist to breathe it. Once the scientist was knocked out, the Lucario allowed him to drop to the ground. Another grunt, presumably the driver, fired a gun at him but missed due to his nerves. The Lucario's eyes flashed and he dashed forward. He promptly lifted the grunt by his throat, constricting his airways. Not more than a minute later, the grunt lay dead at his feet.

Lora was now as horrified as Blaze had been during the battle, but Blaze was just downright furious.

"Why are you killing them? Don't you have any empathy?" The Lucario eyed him strangely, then said

"You sure are weird." Blaze was very irritated now, and about to retaliate, but the Lucario's voice beat him to the punch.

"I ain't talkin' about the way you look; I mean that you're bottling all that up inside you." Blaze hesitated, then asked

"What do you mean?" The Lucario scoffed, then turned to Lora and said

"You know what I'm talkin' about, right?" Lora nervously and slowly shook her head, and the Lucario looked upon her with dismay.

"You mean even with all the emotion sensing abilities you have, you can't sense what this guy is holding back?" Lora shook her head again, and the Lucario threw his hands into the air in despair and hopelessness. Lora, curious now, began to probe his mind. What flashed by were disturbing images of his past, things that would have been better left unsaid and undone. The Lucario's eyes flashed angrily and he lashed back with Psychic. Lora gasped and stepped back at the lash back, and Blaze moved in front of her, charging a Fire Blast. He stopped though, when the Lucario said grimly

"Oh, so that's how it is." The Lucario looked upon Blaze with more pity now, which insulted Blaze's pride. Then he said

"Look buddy, I know how it is. But you shouldn't hold all of that in. It will take some time, but you'll move past what you did faster if you let her help you." Blaze stiffened and asked suspiciously

"Why would you say something like that?" The Lucario sighed and responded

"Don't try to hide it; you killed a Rocket grunt and now feel extremely guilty about it. Despite the fact that he would have led you back to your ultimate doom, you feel guilty about defending yourself." Blaze flinched at the statement, but didn't deny the words. How could he? After all, he was right. The Lucario turned a dark eye to Lora and asked spitefully

"What kind of mother are you? Adopted or not, he was still a child placed under your care. You should never have left him, no matter the reason." Lora tried to explain, but he cut her off, slashing the air with his arm and shouting

"NO MATTER THE REASON! I don't care what you say; there was no excuse to leave him alone, despite what you think! Don't you care?" Lora hung her head, shamefaced, and replied softly

"_Of course I do, but-" _

"But nothing! If you really care, then don't make excuses. Do better in the future." He paused for a moment, then said

"Your friends are coming for you. Go ahead and meet them down the road, that way." He pointed back in the direction the truck had been driving from. He walked over to the scientist and picked him up, hefting him on his shoulder. He brought out a small cube from underneath his scarf, pressed a button, then tossed it to the ground. He looked back at Blaze and Lora and told them

"Team Rocket won't be in Unova anymore, I promise you that. Don't ask me how I can, it just is. Good luck." A purple and blue portal sprang up out of the cube and the Lucario stepped through it. After he did, the cube short-circuited and broke, destroying the portal as a result. Blaze and Lora were just staring at the area until they heard a familiar voice shout

"There you guys are!" They looked back and spotted Loki running toward them, accompanied by a Gallade giving a piggy-back ride to another Lucario, and a dark-looking man with a black trench coat, shirt and dark jeans. They were panting as they stopped, but Loki threw his arms around Blaze and Lora, pulling them together and saying

"I'm glad we made it, but it seems you had this under control." Blaze shook his head and said

"Not quite, but I'll explain later. For now, let's just get out of here." The dark man beside Loki nodded his head and replied with his Russian accent

"Yes, let us be off. Victory, take us home, please." The Gallade nodded at him, then up to the Lucario he bore. She nodded back and the two began glowing with a bright white light. Soon they all disappeared from the road, leaving nothing but the carnage behind.

**Okay, I think that made a good chapter. What do you guys think? Let me know soon, okay?**


	16. Chapter 16

**Inferno, Chapter 16**

**Heyall, I'm back again! Had a bit of business to take care of (all around) and I was further contemplating this story. I think I can make a slight extension for you, but it will require a time skip. If you don't care about that, please let me know. Anyway, let's get started. Story Spotlight; **_**Family Matters**_**, by nyislandersgirl. Ratings; 1****st****) United States 2****nd****) Australia 3****rd****) Canada 4****th****) Hungary 5****th****) United Kingdom.**

A New Home, A New Hope

The entire team appeared in a forested, decrepit area. What made it decrepit was the crumbling ruins that surrounded them. Blaze and Lora looked around, and finally Lora asked

"_Where are we?" _Nicholai chuckled and replied

"We are in Dreamyard, next to Striaton City." Blaze frowned and asked

"Dreamyard?" Loki rushed to explain.

"It's an area where humans used to do research on the pokemon Munna and Musharna. They are known for their ability to see and eat dreams, then expel them in the form of pink mist, often referred to as Dream Mist. They are quite an interesting species, but incredibly rare. One day, they just seemed to vanish, so the project to study them was given up. The ruins you see around us are the remains of the building they used to do their studies in." Blaze looked around again, then said

"I could make a living here." Nicholai and Loki laughed then, very loudly, causing Blaze to pinch his eyebrows together and ask

"What's so funny?" Nicholai and Loki were supporting each other, and Nicholai recovered first. He wiped a tear from his eye and chuckled out

"You are very funny kamiediant, but this is not where you will be living!" Loki recovered next and told Blaze

"We're going to be hanging with Nicholai here until we can get you guys settled in. We just teleported here because almost nobody comes here." Blaze continued to frown and asked

"Then won't it look suspicious if we come traipsing out?" Loki shook his head and smiled, saying

"No, it's just easier to teleport here rather than in the middle of the city where we might land on someone's head." Blaze hesitated, then nodded his understanding. Nicholai complimented his pokemon's efforts, then returned them to their pokeballs. They walked through the Dreamyard until they saw an opening, somewhat like a leafy tunnel, in the forest. Beyond that, Blaze could see buildings, people moving around, and smell something heavenly.

Once Blaze and Lora stepped through, their mouths hung open in shock. This wasn't necessarily a bustling city such as Celadon in Kanto, and certainly not like Saffron, but it was a far cry from an abandoned wreck like Cinnabar. It was in between.

There was a range of apartment buildings that all seemed quite uniform, leading up the one of the two entrances and exits to the city. The big, red roof of the Pokemon Center was clearly visible, but something was different about it. It was much higher now, and had far more windows. Altogether it was kind of pretty, but very strange to both Lora and Blaze. To the right of the Pokemon Center was a building that was one story tall and had flags mounted on the end of the railings that were bolted onto the stairs which led to the door.

To the left stood a three story building. Blaze inhaled deeply, as this was the location the delightful aromas he had detected before originated from. He pointed to the three story building and asked

"What's that?" Nicholai raised an eyebrow and responded

"That? That is Striaton City restaurant. The finest cuisine in Unova can be found there. The three owners, Cilan, Chili, and Cress, were originally gym leaders, until the Team Plasma incident several years ago. They quit as gym leaders and devoted their time to their food-making. However, they still accept battles." Blaze nodded and walked forward, immersing himself deeper in the city. Lora started forward and grabbed his arm, taking him momentarily by surprise. He looked at her and she asked

"_Don't you think you should be more careful?"_ Blaze raised an eyebrow and responded

"Why? Team Rocket isn't here. We're finally free of them. And I plan to enjoy the moment." Lora released him, albeit hesitantly, and Blaze immersed himself into the crowd, shortly followed by Loki.

While he walked among the full-blooded humans, he sometimes acquired strange looks, but nothing like he had in Kanto. There were other pokemon fans who were dressed up in some strange clothes indeed. Blaze saw women dressed like Gardevoir, some men dressed like Machoke, and he even spotted a young girl dressed as a Pidgeot! She even had the wings of one, including a beak that was tied around her face.

Blaze was taken aback by all of that, and more, but after a half hour, he began to feel more relaxed. No one was accusing him of being a strangely dressed freak; instead, people were complimenting him on his "costume"! One such lady even ran her fingers over the material Blaze wore, and she said

"Pretty decent. You get some Leavanny to make this for you?" Blaze laughed momentarily and replied

"More like they kidnapped me and made it for me." The woman's eyes were squinted in confusion, but after a moment she shrugged and went on her way. Blaze felt like running all this happy energy off, or crying, or laughing and spinning in circles. He did none of this, however. Instead, he ran over to Lora, who was still warily by the entrance to the Dreamyard, grabbed her hand and shouted

"Come on!"

"_Blaze, wait-!" _Lora shouted, but it was too late. She was now being pulled by Blaze through the throng of people, many dressed in bright colors. Lora looked at Blaze and saw, to her surprise, the sheer joy that radiated from him, presumably because they no longer had to fear for their immediate lives. They were among friends now, and she could see the hope in him that she hadn't seen since the day she presented the teleportation crystal to him for his birthday.

Eventually she lightened up, and soon found herself smiling too. Their worry was done, their suffering was finally over! No longer would they have to constantly watch over their shoulders; no more would they battle for their lives and freedom against giant robots; gone were the days when Lora would have to comfort Blaze every time they were attacked.

It had taken a few years, but now their greatest goal was accomplished; to be free. The only question now was, what would they do with their lives? Blaze angled toward some benched to sit down for a moment, Nicholai and Loki a fair distance behind. Blaze and Lora sat down, although Blaze continued to look around the city in wonder. Lora smiled brightly, glad that he could take enjoyment in the sights. At last, Blaze turned to her, still radiating happiness, and he said

"We did it, Lora." She smiled wider and replied

"_It took a while, but yes, we made it." _Blaze closed his eyes and sighed contentedly, lying back against the bench. He listened as Lora asked

"_The only question I have now is, now that we have gained our freedom, what shall we do with it?" _Blaze opened an eye and laughed gleefully, saying

"Whatever we want! It's our life to live, however we choose." Lora hesitated, then asked

"_Have you given any consideration to what I said before?" _Blaze looked at her lazily and asked

"What about?" Lora hesitated, then continued

"_You know… about finding you a nice female Blaziken." _Blaze jolted up, frowning a bit. He responded

"Lora, I'm not sure. I mean, despite what you might think and say, I'm still an abomination. Chances are I'd be unable to provide anyone with children." Lora giggled and replied

"_You don't need to be able to provide children to be happy. Besides, who's to say you couldn't? Would Team Rocket have wasted all their time trying to get you to do so if it would have been a lost cause?" _Blaze hesitated, then shook his head and said

"They were probably trying to figure out whether or not I was fertile."

"_They could have used other methods to accomplish that."_

"But they probably knew I would have beaten them senseless if they had."

"_They would have restrained you before you could."_

On and on it went for the better part of ten minutes, until at last Loki decided to intervene.

"I don't mean to interrupt your argument-"

"Yes you do. Why do you lie to them?" Nicholai interrupted. Loki sent him a glare, which made Nicholai smirk, and Loki turned back to the arguing duo, saying

"We should probably get back to Nicholai's for now. He agreed to shelter us while we were here." Lora looked at Nicholai in surprise and said gratefully

"_Thank you!" _Nicholai waved it off and said

"Do not mention it. I am happy to help those who were once pursued by those criminals. One day they shall see their recompense, and when they do, I hope they all burn for it." Blaze and Lora were shocked at the vindictiveness that coated his voice, and in the interest of their comfort, decided not to delve. Instead, they rose, and Nicholai began to lead them to his home, a rather large apartment that felt cozy, despite the fact that it was mostly bare. Nicholai grinned sheepishly at his guests and said

"Pardon the design. I do not receive many guests, so I feel no need to decorate my home. But do not let it worry you, for I have room for you all. You may stay here as long as you need to." Blaze was touched by his generosity, but asked

"Is there a way I can get a place of my own?" Lora looked at him in slight surprise, and Loki replied

"Well, you'd have to get a job, raise up some money, then you buy yourself a place." Blaze nodded and asked

"How do I get started on that?" Loki raised a hand and said

"First things first; we have to get you registered as a member of this region. Only then could you apply for a job here. Then we'll delve into the later topics." Blaze hesitated, then nodded his assent. Nicholai motioned forward and said

"Before we start any of that, however, let us find something to eat."

**Six Months Later…**

Blaze stood in front of the Striaton City Restaurant, nervously fingering the application and letter of recommendation. He had long since become a member of Unova; he made sure to bug Loki until he caved, about three days in since their arrival. What took so long was Blaze both finishing his education, in a way, and working up the courage to apply here. He was worried that he would be declined, even scorned, for being the hybrid he was. After so many months of acceptance, he didn't want to face that again.

On the other hand, he also wanted to become self-sufficient, and the only way he could was by getting a job, making money, and handling things on his own. Lora, who had accompanied him since she was applying too, touched his arm, making him jump.

"_Calm down, it's just me" _she smirked. He huffed, then focused his nervous gaze back to the application, and Lora asked

"_What's wrong?" _Blaze snorted softly and retaliated

"Can't you tell?" Lora shook her head and said

"_I can tell you're worried, but I can't figure out why." _Blaze inhaled shakily, the aroma of the restaurant calming him, though slightly, and replied

"I'm worried what they'll think of me when they learn what I am." Lora frowned; three months ago, Blaze had proposed that he would no longer run away from what he was, despite the grief it might cause him. Lora had debated the issue with him, but as of yet was unsuccessful in changing his mind..

"_Are you sure you really want to do this?" _she asked him. He nodded and took a deep breath, then said to himself

"Yes, I want to do this, but standing here isn't getting me anywhere. All it is is a few steps." Trepidation flowed like water throughout his veins as he lifted a foot and started walking up the steps. Lora followed behind, ready to encourage him should he need it. At the door, Blaze paused. Lora was about to speak to him, but he stopped her and said

"No need, Lora, I can do this." He took another deep breath, then pushed the door inward. Lora followed right behind him, and they were immersed in the rich aroma of the various foods they offered, the scents so thick you could practically taste the food itself, and although there was a massive variety of scents that mixed and clashed together, the overall effect practically left the duo drooling. Blaze's attention was immediately caught as one of the servers walked up to the booth and asked

"Do you have a reservation, sir?" Blaze shook his head to clear his thoughts, then said nervously

"Actually, I'm here for an interview." He passed over the papers, which the server looked over briefly, then handed them back and said

"One moment, sir. They'll be with you shortly." He left to attend someone else, and Blaze and Lora stood there awkwardly. Then someone stepped out of the kitchen and approached them. He had a crisp suit with a bleached apron. The most colorful part about him was his hair, which was a pleasant grass green in color. His eyes were small but kind, colored the same as his hair. He approached them and said

"Hello, you must be the new applicant! My name is Cilan, Connoisseur Extraordinaire! And you are?" Blaze stumbled over his tongue for a moment, and Cilan laughed briefly, telling him

"There's no need to be nervous. We do not judge anyone based on their appearance, only by character." He scrutinized him for a moment, then said

"And I must say, you sir, are quite a character! You have the bitterness of suffering, yet the bold flavor of determination! Layered among that is the subtle saltiness of oppression, and the sweet fortitude of compassion." Blaze was merely stunned, and Lora shifted her position, catching Cilan's attention. He looked at her, then back at Blaze and asked

"Your friend?" Blaze nodded, and Cilan returned his beady eyes upon her, until he said

"Your character represents much like what his does, yet you are not as spicy as he. Rather, you embody the sweetness of compassion, dulling down the bitter aftertaste of hopelessness and covering effectively that of oppression. Now then, what may I do for the both of you?" Blaze unstuck his throat and coughed, then said

"I, uh… came here for an interview…" He held up the papers, which Cilan gently took and looked over. He placed a hand to his chin and murmured

"I see… Very well, please follow me." They did so, winding their way through tables and chairs until Cilan reached a door. It said "Cilan, Cress, Chili" on a golden plaque, which Blaze was able to easily read now, thanks to Loki and Lora. He opened the door and stepped aside to let them in. They walked inside the small office, and Cilan followed behind them, closing the door gently in the process. He took a seat behind the desk while Blaze and Lora sat in front of it. Cilan looked at the papers for another minute before asking

"So, the information is pretty much all on here, but I would like you to answer the questions in full. Is that alright?" Blaze nodded, wanting to get this over with. Cilan pressed his hands together and said

"Very well, let us start with something easy. What is your name?" Blaze dry swallowed, then responded

"Blaze." Cilan raised an eyebrow inquiringly, saying

"That is indeed a strange name, robust in originality, yet spicy in implication." He looked down at the form and frowned briefly, then asked Blaze

"Where the question is for species, you marked both "Human" and "Pokemon". Would you care to explain that?" Blaze looked briefly to Lora for reassurance, and Lora nodded. Blaze took a deep breath and told Cilan

"I'm a hybrid. I have both human and pokemon DNA, so I thought it was best to mark both." Cilan's small eyebrows nearly disappeared in his green hair, and he asked

"So you are not merely a pokemon fanatic?" Blaze shook his head and replied

"The clothes are just that; clothes. But the claws, horns, and hair are real." He demonstrated the truth by proving that the aforementioned parts of him were an integral part of his body. Cilan was astounded but interested, and he asked

"What are you fully capable of?" Blaze hesitated, then said

"I can use fire moves like a real Blaziken, I can understand pokemon, but I look like a human." Cilan hesitated before asking

"Who are your parents?" Blaze hesitated strongly before he replied ashamedly, lowering his gaze as he said it.

"I don't know; Team Rocket created me. I am a test-tube experiment, meant to destroy and plunder." Cilan seemed nothing less than shocked, but at last he observed

"You do not seem like that kind of person to me however." Blaze shook his head and replied hopefully

"Ever since I could, I have been fighting Team Rocket in their purpose for me. I didn't accept it, and I wanted a life to call my own. After many years of torture, I finally escaped with Lora here." Cilan was confused, so Blaze sighed deeply and began to explain the whole thing to him. Cilan was silent throughout, though his expression constantly changed. At the end of the narration, he sighed and shook his head, saying sadly

"You have been through too much for one so young. But enough of that; you have come here for a new opportunity, and you shall have one." Blaze stopped breathing for a moment, then asked quietly

"Does that mean…?" Cilan smiled and said

"Not quite yet, but I have a good feeling about you. My brothers are a bit less… shall we say, swayed? as I am. However, I think it's because they do not see the same things I tend to see in people. Tell me, is Lora also here for a job?" Lora hesitated, then said reluctantly

"_I'm here mostly for emotional support, but if there is a position open, I wouldn't turn it down." _Cilan grinned and said

"Well, one of our waitresses had to leave to go abroad for reasons she did not divulge, so if you are amenable to that, we might be able to work something out." Lora sat up straighter than she already was and asked

"_Could both Blaze and I be hired to work here?" _Cilan looked over Blaze's papers again and replied

"Well, we are rather short in the kitchen, which is good since Blaze has applied for a position as a chef. And it appears you are willing to fill in our empty spot as waitress. Would you be agreeable to that position?" Lora hesitated, then told him

"_I'm not sure I would be good at it." _Cilan smiled and said

"A first job is never easy, especially in the beginning. However, once you get into the rhythm of your work, it becomes easier. So, if we can fill out the necessary paperwork, we can start you both next week." Blaze and Lora both nodded simultaneously, and Cilan smiled again. They filled out all the papers, and by the time the restaurant was about to close, Cilan was waving them out the door, saying

"It was nice meeting you, and I can't wait to see how you do. Truly a tantalizing taste of unimaginable flavors!" Blaze and Lora smirked at each other. Some might have found his comparisons somewhat annoying, but they thought it was rather endearing to his character. Blaze jumped for joy when they were out of sight of the restaurant, and Lora giggled. They walked back to Nicholai's apartment, both barely able to contain their glee at their fortunes.

**Okay, that's the end there. Now, I can make out at least one more chapter, possibly two, so don't give out on me yet. Please send in your reviews!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Inferno, Chapter 17**

**Hello, one and all. I regret to inform you that this will be the more or less final chapter of Inferno, but I had fun writing it all the same. With the finishing of this story, I will also be opening the orphanage for adoptable stories, hopefully expanding my repertoire of writing. Anyway, let's get on with the show. Story Spotlight; **_**Running In Darkness**_**, by kourabiedes. I may take over that story, but we'll see. Ratings; 1****st****) United States 2****nd****) Australia 3****rd****) Canada 4****th****) United Kingdom 5****th****) Hungary.**

The Final Leg

It had been three years now since Blaze and Lora were hired at the Striaton City Restaurant, and things couldn't have been better for them. Blaze had earned his place as a master chef, utilizing his fire powers to cook the foods in record time, yet because he had such an expansive knowledge of it, knew exactly how to bring the best out of the food. Chili had been impressed, which both Cilan and Cress had confided was not an easy feat.

Lora, who was a waitress, was also more at ease than before. She was fully capable of reading at an incredible pace now, and she loved it. Blaze was also an accomplished reader, but Lora was a far faster reader than he was. But she didn't brag about it.

In the course of the three years, Blaze had saved up enough money with Lora to be able to afford their own apartments, and they reveled in the freedom they now had. Included in that course was the fact that Lora had managed to find a mate, which she brought with her. Naturally, Blaze had been rather protective and challenged him, and Lora had nearly died of embarrassment, but now things were settled down and they were all good friends.

Nicholai still lived in his apartment with his pokemon, though he had a strange habit of going somewhere secretive every other week or so, always dressed in his darkest attire. He had a tendency to come back tired and somewhat haggard, but always made sure to check up on them.

Loki had returned to Kanto to fight against Team Rocket, believing it was best to get rid of the tyrannical group once and for all. Occasionally he called them, but for the most part he was too busy.

Back at the restaurant, the bell for the end of the shifts rang out, and Blaze finished the touches on the dish he was making. He set it out for pick-up, then went to the apron rack, where he hung his up to go on his lunch break. He grabbed said lunch out of the fridge made available to the employees and walked out, waving to Lora before exiting.

Normally he went to the park-like area that separated Striaton City and the route that led to Nacrene City, where the famous museum was located. However, Blaze wanted to try a new set of scenery today, but was unsure where to go. Beyond the route would take too long, there wasn't really an established spot below Striaton, so the only other option he had was to go to the right of Striaton, into the Dreamyard.

Shrugging, he walked in that direction, reaching the place in five minutes, then looking for an ideal location. He found it against the walls of the crumbled building that served as a laboratory for scientist in times past. He ate his lunch in contentment, at peace with the world right now. He looked at the watch he had bought with his first paycheck, and seeing he still had a half hour, leaned against the wall and began to rest his eyes.

That stopped when he heard a fierce yelp, one of pain, he imagined. He jumped to his feet, swiveling his head in an attempt to pinpoint the source of the commotion. He heard the yelp again, more distressed this time, and he rushed through the decrepit building. He came out into a small field that had a set of stairs which led into the ground, and near the stairs he saw another Blaziken, struggling against a Machoke who was pulling it along.

"Come on, baby, I know you want this" the Machoke said. The Blaziken's eyes flashed furiously and it, soon discovered as a _she_, shouted

"Not on your life! Let go of me, or else!" The Machoke laughed scornfully and asked

"Or else what?" Blaze had seen enough. He lit up his fist in a fiery cloak, then ran pell-mell at the pure Fighting type. He noticed his movements, but all too late.

"What the-oof!" Blaze punched him full on in the face, sending him flying back by about five feet. He crashed into the concrete stairs, which looked painful. His breath was knocked out of him, and he curled up in pain, which gave Blaze the opportunity to turn to the Blaziken and ask her

"Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?" She shook her head, then studied him intensely, asking

"What are you? You look mostly like a human dressed up as a Blaziken, but you used pokemon moves. How did you do that?" Blaze hesitated for a moment, during which time the Machoke rose and shouted

"Hey! What's the idea of attacking me for no reason?!" Blaze turned around, his eyes narrowing in dislike as he responded

"You were going to have your way with her, weren't you?" The Machoke scoffed and said

"So what? It's certainly none of your business what I do with her, so why don't you just scram like a good little boy and leave me to my business." Blaze was now very angry, so he lit both hands and feet on fire, catching the Machoke by surprise as he said

"I don't think so. You see, you've pissed me off, now. And I'm not going anywhere. You, on the other hand, are about to become a Flying type." The Machoke laughed and mocked Blaze, saying

"You think you're going to beat me?! Oh, that's rich!" He cracked his knuckled and neck, then said

"I'll admit you caught me by surprise, but that over and done with now. I'm ready for ya, and believe me, you will regret comin here." Blaze didn't say anything, but instead waited on his opponent to make the first move. The Machoke roared and flexed his muscles, which seemed to increase in size, and Blaze recognized it as a Bulk-Up. Then the Machoke glowed with power, causing stones to rise up and surround him, flinging them all at Blaze. Stone Edge.

Blaze began to obliterate all the stones. Normally, he would have dodged them, but there was another Blaziken behind him, and he didn't want to put her in the line of danger. Despite his skill, though, he missed a few, all of which struck him, and none too gently. They stung horribly, but Blaze fought the pain and didn't flinch.

When the attack finished, Blaze gathered the fire together in his hands and launched a Fire Blast at the Machoke. He was a bit slow in dodging it, but he managed to avoid the worst of the attack. The grass where he was previously standing could not say as much.

The Machoke rushed in, his muscles bulging as he lunged at Blaze in an attempt to hit him with a Seismic Toss. Blaze barely avoided the crushing grip of his arms, though, and retaliated with a Blaze Kick. The Machoke laughed and caught him by the burning foot, then spun around, sending Blaze flying and crashing into the wall, which crumbled on impact. Blaze grunted but managed to stay conscious. He stumbled to his feet, which made the Machoke laugh and tease him.

"Hey Princess, you sure you're up for this? I'm way out of your league kid; do yourself a favor and go home." Blaze started to chuckle, and the Machoke asked

"What's so funny?" Blaze stopped laughing long enough to respond

"You are, of course. You're so confident in yourself that you think you're above everything. But believe me, you have no idea what you're up against here." Blaze surrounded himself with an inferno, and after it faded, all the injuries he accumulated had disappeared. The Machoke and Blaziken stared at him in shock, and the Blaziken asked

"How did you heal yourself so fast?" Blaze chuckled again and said

"One of my abilities. Let's just say I'm not fully human, and I'm not entirely Blaziken either. I'm a hybrid." The Machoke scoffed and said

"Hybrid, human, pokemon, it don't matter! I can still beat the shit outta you!" Blaze turned his glare to him, and he said menacingly

"That's where you're deplorably wrong." The Machoke charged forward again, but before he could punch Blaze, the hybrid jumped nimbly over him, back flipping and kicking him in the back of the head with a flaming foot, sending him crumpling into the rubble that Blaze had just been occupying. Blaze landed lightly, turning around slowly and asking

"Get the picture a bit better now?" The Machoke grunted as he lifted himself back up, saying

"Now, I'm annoyed. I thought this would just be another bug for me to crush, but you've become a real irritation, kid. So congratulations, you've gotten on my bad side." Blaze scoffed and relit his hands and feet, then began to exchange blows with the Machoke. Blaze's punches weren't as strong, but what they lacked in power they made up for in the searing agony caused every time his opponent was hit with a fiery fist.

After several minutes of this, they both hit each other with a punch that caused them both to fly away from each other, landing somewhat painfully. They both stood at the same time, and the Machoke said as he wiped a trickle of blood away from his lip

"Say, kid, you're not that bad. Whattya call yourself?" Blaze ignited the inferno again, erasing all his injuries, then reassumed battle stance, replying

"I am Blaze, and I fear no one." The Machoke laughed and said

"No one? Come on, now. Everybody fears someone, or at least something. Do you fear death?" Blaze smirked and said

"At times, I wished for it. If you think you present that much of a threat to me, you're sorely mistaken." The Machoke's eyes narrowed in suspicion, and he said

"There's something you fear, I know there is. Now what is it?" Blaze didn't even blink as he responded

"I have only one fear, but because it does not exist in this region, I have nothing to fear." The Machoke laughed and said

"Chances are your fear could come here, and then what'll you do?" Blaze cracked his neck and said

"I have been assured that it will not happen. Now then, are we going to fight, or are you going to waste time jacking your jaw?" The Machoke's eyes flashed in anger, and he said

"Alright, I'll end this with one more move." Blaze scoffed and said

"Fine. I'll do the same." The Machoke used Stone Edge again, bringing a collection of the rubble that surrounded him to his sides. Blaze lit up his entire body in a blaze of glory, and as the Machoke launched his attack, Blaze shot forward. He ducked, weaved and jumped around the stones, and once the Machoke's store had been depleted, Blaze increased his speed. The fire surrounding him swelled until it burst, becoming blue energy; Fire Blitz.

The Machoke could do no more than sputter briefly before Blaze collided with him, sending him farther back into the ruined building, destroying it further. Blaze flinched as he took the recoil damage that accompanied Fire Blitz. Once it subsided, he walked to the unconscious Machoke and grabbed him by a limp arm. He dragged the Fighting type out of the building, then leaned down and spoke softly

"I told you that you would become a Flying type; I don't lie." Without another word, he stood straight, then began to spin, lifting the Machoke up and throwing him around, until he finally let go, sending the Machoke flying out over the forest for a good hundred yards, crashing through the trees and disturbing the birds that were roosting there at the time.

Blaze brushed his hands together and said

"That's that." He turned his attention to the female Blaziken and asked

"You sure you're alright?" She slowly nodded, then shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts, and asked

"So… what exactly are you? That was incredible fighting, but I've never seen it before." Blaze sighed and said

"Well, like I said, I'm a hybrid. I have Blaziken DNA and human DNA. I was created in a large tube by Team Rocket. They are the only ones I fear." The Blaziken flinched at the mention of the name of the criminal syndicate, and Blaze asked

"What's wrong? Do you have a bad association with them too?" She reluctantly nodded and told him

"Yeah. I was abducted some years ago and experimented on for a while. Then they did something unspeakable to me." Blaze frowned and asked

"What?" The Blaziken shuddered and turned away, covering herself with her arms, responding in a soft voice

"They made me sterile." Blaze's heart nearly stopped as he asked

"How?" Shuddering again, she replied

"They removed my eggs from my body. I would no longer have the chance to give birth, to have a child of my own. And because of that, no male afterward would have me, so I was denied the chance for a relationship as well." She broke down, shaking with her sobs, and Blaze walked forward, trying to comfort her.

"I'm sorry. I understand what it's like to be denied, to feel lonely, to never know your place in the world. I wish there was some way I could help." She looked up at him and smiled, or as best she could considering she had a beak, and she replied

"You have. You saved me the emotional and physical pain of being in a sexual relationship I wanted no part of, and you listened to me. That helped more than I can express right now." Blaze nodded and helped her to her feet. He hesitated, then asked

"I'm sorry to pry, but I want to know; when did this happen to you?" She frowned and asked

"Why are you interested?" Blaze hesitated again, then said

"I don't know, but I feel like you and I have a deeper connection than we know. Maybe your answer will help." She hesitated, then said

"It was about eighteen years ago. They told me my… 'contribution', would go in hand with their newest foul project. Now, why did you want to know that?" Blaze's eyes were wide, and he softly spoke.

"Could… could you be… my mother?" The Blaziken started, then narrowed her eyes in suspicion, asking

"Why would you ask such a thing?" Blaze stumbled in his excitement but soon found his tongue again, telling her

"Eighteen years ago is when I was created! Maybe there's a relation!" She frowned in doubt and said

"I don't think so… but there is a way to check."

"What, what?!" The Blaziken smirked now and told him

"Relax. Now then, hold your hand up against mine and activate your fire." He did so, and no sooner did their fires activate then did they combine, forming a new fire color Blaze had never seen before; pink. The Blaziken gasped and pulled away, and Blaze asked

"What's wrong?" The Blaziken panted for a moment, then said

"That technique… it only works with Blaziken… and for the fire to turn that color, there must be a direct relation, spanning only one generation." Blaze frowned and asked

"What does that mean?" She walked forward, tears in her eyes, and she hugged him suddenly, taking him by surprise. After a moment, the tears spilled from her eyes, and she said in a choked voice

"It means that you are my son. Those eggs Team Rocket stole from me, one of them was you. They used you in their horrid experiment, and now we finally meet, mother and son." Blaze was absolutely shocked, and he couldn't contain himself as he hugged her back tightly, afraid he would lose her so soon after just finding her. For five minutes they stood thus, merely holding onto one another, not wanting to relinquish their hold. Eventually, though, Blaze pried himself from his mother's arms and told her

"Let me take you home with me. I have a place now, and you can live with me. You don't have to worry about Team Rocket anymore, and we don't have to be apart anymore." She nodded solemnly and said

"I'd like that… son." Blaze was ecstatic now, and he quickly dragged his mother through the forest, around the shattered ruins of the laboratory. Along the way, he informed her of everything he had gone through in the past eighteen years, and she was more than just horrified, she was also extremely saddened by the fate that had befallen one of her own.

When they reached the entrance, she hesitated, but Blaze dragged her through, saying

"Don't worry, I've been here for three years. I even have a job now!" She kept walking, though reluctantly, and eventually Blaze stopped in front of the restaurant, where Lora was waiting for him. She at once began to scold him.

"_Blaze, do you know how late for work you are?! You only get an hour for lunch, not two and a half! Where were you this whole time?" _Blaze chuckled and motioned to his mother, saying

"I was meeting someone new." Lora looked at the Blaziken, her attention now not so focused on Blaze alone, and she said

"_My, Blaze, she's cute. So, who is this?"_ Blaze chuckled and told Lora

"Lora, I'd like you to meet my mom." Lora's eyes widened in disbelief, and she asked

"_Blaze, are you sure? How do you know?" _Blaze chuckled one more time, then replied

"It's a long story, Lora."

**Well, that's the end of the story. I hope you enjoyed it!**


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